


Under fire

by LMC25



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:27:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28246902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMC25/pseuds/LMC25
Summary: A routine mission quickly becomes deadly in the first targeted attack that IR have ever witnessed. It unnerves them to the core, how will they protect themselves from this new threat?
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Thunderbirds one and two had been drafted to London in the UK after a group of archaeologists had become trapped at an underground excavation. The cause for the cave in was currently unknown but had attracted major media attention being in the centre of the city. It was making the rescue more difficult as Scott had to be mindful of filming and potential photograph taking. The digital age was making it difficult to enforce the no photos rule to the point of where several governments had made it a criminal offense to do so in the attempt to control the situation. There secrecy must be maintained at all costs. Scott was keeping a watchful eye over the crowd at his mobile base, placed directly between the Thunderbirds.

Virgil was already underground with Alan, in the mole trying to free the trapped archaeologists. He had been down there for over 30 minutes now as the excavation site was an impressive 150 ft below. Scott was staring at the mole's entry point willing his brother to call soon to say they were on there way back. Due to the nature of the operation they were maintaining clear airways. Brows creased, Scott continued to wait impatiently.

In amongst the crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the legendary international rescue was a woman watching intently. She was in her mid twenties and was excited to see the people she admired working to save those trapped below. She was sure glad she was off duty today; this crowd control operation was a logistical nightmare! Hundreds of people pressed at the barriers which were straining under the pressure. The noise and hubbub would have been unbearable for someone that hated crowds. A line of officers was stood with their hands behind back facing the crowd ready to tackle any disorder. Clear no filming signs were flashing on all the electric billboard advertising in the square. She scanned the crowd looking for the best gap to exit as she had involuntarily been pushed to the near front by the crowd. She saw a glimpse of those fantastic machines, the streamline quality of the gunmetal grey one made it look like a rocket and the other looked to be some type of industrial carrier craft like nothing she had ever seen. She naturally cast her eyes to the right of the larger aircraft to try and compared the size of it next to the buildings. It was there; up on the building opposite, that she noticed the flash of the summer sun reflecting off a metal like object. Then she noticed the shadow pop up from below the object. She went cold with what she saw. Behind the reflective object was a man. The reflection was a scope and the man a marksman ready to aim with cold, calculated precision. A tiger in wait, ready to pounce on its target. She was short for her age but able to follow the marks man's view point through the shoulders jostling in the crowd. With her training she saw what he was aiming straight at. It was man in blue, the man from IR.

She sprung to action elbowing and thrusting her way through the tightly packed group of people. MOVE! She shouted. EMERGENCY! POLICE! MOVE GOD DAMMIT! The crowd began to part marginally but not quick enough, she was so close to the barrier. She was praying to God that she would get there in time, she had to save him. She lost concentration momentarily at the horror that he might become a victim. This earned her elbow to the face. There was blood dripping from her lip now but she barely noticed. She was out of breath from having it literally crushed out of her, squeezing into the tiniest crevices and gaps in a bid to get to the front. She was wild with urgency and thrashed in the crowd like a trapped animal, shouting – trampling on feet if she had to. She strained forward, her left hand extended as far as she could get it. She could feel the strain on her shoulder as she grabbed the barrier. She used two young men to scramble her way up on to the barrier. The police tried to grab her, she flashed her badge as she leapt over the head of the nearest officer from where she had been balancing on the top of the barrier to give her extra range. She landed awkwardly grazing her hand and ripping her jeans but recovered quickly. If she didn't get tazared it would be a miracle she reflected. She dared not look behind or upwards, she just had to reach him! She sprinted, her destination a good 200 yards in front of her, several police trailing behind her. The marksman saw the commotion; this was his last chance at a clear shot, his finger wrapped around the trigger softly ready to hit his target. She was under the shadow of the rocket now. She continued to clear the distance, her chest was screaming at her to stop but she wasn't going to, not when she could avert a tragedy. The guy in blue looked stunned as she took a running leap and barreled into him, knocking his hat clean off. "What the!" He exclaimed surprised. "Sniper, DUCK" was all she had time to bellow as he hit the floor and she landed half sprawled across him. The bullet had been fired, the sniper already fleeing the scene after expertly dismantling his weapon. Below there were screams from the crowd, all hell broke as chaos ensued.


	2. Chapter 2

'Scott come in. Silence. Scott do you copy?' Virgil looked towards Alan in concern. They had successfully rounded up the casualties and were trying to inform Scott. They were experiencing ground tremors from above which were also worrying as it could potentially destabilise the cavern they were in even more. All of a sudden, a beacon flashed up that indicated that TB5 or base was trying to contact them. 'Go ahead.'

John appeared on the screen before them his usual calm collected demeanour was obviously shaken. 'Where are you?' John's eyes continued to rove over the screens in front of him as he was typing furiously.

'Still underground we have just started the course back to the surface. Should surface in five minutes or so' –

'Don't!' John looked panicked.

'John what's going on? You're worrying us.' Alan looked at him intently, searching for the truth on John's expression.

'There has been an attack on the surface at your location, a shooting to be precise. Initial reports indicate that we were the target.'

'Oh god! Scott! We've got to get up there!' Virgil started to increase the mole's speed.

'No! Just give me five minutes and I should be able to tell you more, we don't know if the attacker is still present, then you could all be in danger!'

Virgil slowed the mole. 'Two minutes, or I go after him'.

John just sighed in exasperation. Of course, Virgil wasn't going to listen and he was meant to be the calm one! Alan didn't need an excuse to go rushing in. luckily John had ways of extracting information quickly. He just prayed that Scott was okay.

Back on the surface crowd control had been lost rapidly and hundreds of people were desperately trying to flee the area. Some of the police had retreated towards the Thunderbirds and formed a protective cordon around them. It was a nightmare; people were being pushed under each other and being trampled, any hope of finding the suspect was quickly diminishing for there was no way to follow him through the pandemonium he had created. People were screaming and running in panic for their lives. Some were trying to video it as everyone had to these days. It was lucky that Brains had devised a new paint for the birds that would make them appear distorted if you tried to digitally capture their image.

Scott had regained his composure and was on his knees assessing the situation quickly. He had dragged the girl behind mobile control to protect them from any further attack. He was worried about spinal injuries but had no choice. Now he was in relative safety he could see the state of things. The poor girl that had bravely pushed him to safety was bleeding out, a crumpled doll at his feet. She was face down how she had landed. Scott couldn't let her die, he owed her too much. She was still conscious but had a hole in her back near her right shoulder blade; when he gently lifted her, he saw a ragged exit wound out the front of her shoulder. Shit! what a mess! He scrambled for the med kit kept in the control unit and slammed down next to her ripping it open as he did so. Professionalism told him to shut the adrenaline coursing through his body down; he needed his hands to stop shaking to be of use! 'Hey, you came barreling out of nowhere, I don't think I had a chance to catch your name?' He was already shaking the expanding medic foam to project into the wound. It was going to hurt so it was best there was no warning. 'Yeah sorry about that! I'm Rose.' Trust the English to apologise for saving your life thought Scott. He thrust the foam into the wound. She screamed and flailed in agony. Scott had to hold her down tight. He felt awful. 'I'm sorry this will hopefully stop you bleeding, it's super absorbent and clogs the wound, I didn't have time for painkillers I'm afraid.' He was already now applying a pad and expertly and deftly bandaging the wound up. 'Can you sit up?' he asked gently. She nodded and despite the pain started to push herself up. He gently propped her into place so he could wrap it around under her arm too. 'You're bleeding.' she nodded to his face.

He hadn't noticed so it couldn't be that bad. 'Somehow I think I will be ok and you will be too. I'm going get you help so wait here.'

The man disappeared from her peripheral view. She didn't know if she was just hallucinating on the pain and the pain drugs that he had just pumped into her but he was really handsome! She smiled but it looked macabre, her face was now white from the blood loss and her lips tinged blue with the oncoming shock. She was starting to wonder if she did the right thing…She was going to be in so much trouble. Christ! the pain was unbelievable!

Someone was tapping her shoulder, rudely interrupting her foggy musings; she stared at him, the handsome one. Why was he talking to his wrist? She giggled.

'Virgil, look I'm fine. Are you airborne? Don't worry about me I'm a veteran ok? I've seen much worse action and survived! Good now go!... No I can't! This girl is barely conscious and I don't think the emergency services can get her to hospital in time. She saved my life; I owe it to her… I'll catch up ....alright?'

'Rose?'

'Um' She was still slumped where he left her but she was blue. This was bad. He didn't want her to know that though.

'Rose it's your lucky day, you get to ride in Thunderbird one.'

He had been checking her vitals, they were poor, her vision unfocused. He didn't have much time. He gently scooped her up, the police had quickly packed the last of his equipment and John was liaising with them to reassure them that IR would cooperate with the investigation fully. Scott rushed over to TB1 and gently deposited her on a stretcher in the cargo bay. He then leapt into the cockpit and punched in the coordinates of the nearest A&E that John had relayed.

He settled back into his seat as he took off, it would take just two minutes with TB1 to arrive, the hospital was already prepped and they had granted permission to use the Heli-pad. The adrenaline had surpassed but Scott still didn't have time to process what had just happened his thoughts were consumed with Rose's chances of survival. He willed her to pull through, she was obviously a brave woman he just hoped that she was a strong one too. He was now also noticing the pain in his cheek and the amount of blood congealed on his face. Stitches most likely he thought but that could be done later.

He landed and greeted the trauma team. He read off her vitals for them and the drugs he had given. They nodded curtly and rushed her off leaving Scott on the empty rooftop. He remained there until he saw the doors swing and her disappear from view. He wanted to wait for her to come out of surgery but Father had been adamant that they all return to base for fear of being attacked again. This was a code Red. Scott sighed and turned to fly back home.


	3. Chapter 3

Virgil and Alan were deep in discussion with their father on Scott's arrival. They stopped abruptly when Jeff visibly paled at his desk. They flipped around to see Scott walking towards them still in his uniform.

'Oh my God Scott, your face!' Virgil exclaimed.

'Sheesh! Thanks, Virg way to make me feel better!'

'Boys; let's reconvene in 15 minutes, Scott sit down and let me take a look at that please'.

Thankfully Scott did as he was told; Gordon had seen Scott enter and had already run back with the first aid kit. He handed it to his father. Jeff sat directly opposite Scott and started to open the kit. He grabbed a vial and started to draw the clear substance into the needle and syringe. Thankfully Scott had never played up for his inoculations as a child, Alan on the other hand was terrible and Jeff had always hated taking him to the doctors. He had to bribe him with so many things and even then, on occasion he would still run off if you didn't watch him!

'This might sting son'.

Scott just nodded curtly and let him inject the local anesthetic. He flinched involuntarily as the needle penetrated the soft flesh above his cheek. They waited for it to take effect.

'That's quite a slash there son, why didn't you get it seen to at the hospital?'

'You told me to come home, it was a code red. I couldn't wait for her so I figured I couldn't get treatment either.' Jeff more than got the hint of resentment in Scott's voice. He sighed.

'Scott, I panicked alright? You had just been shot at, I needed you out of there – to make sure you were safe.'

'But Father, she probably isn't safe, she screwed things up for that sniper! What if they go after her! Hell! she might not even survive!'

Jeff was now carefully flushing the five-inch cut to sterilise the wound before suturing. Scott's uniform darkened where the solution fell, Jeff swallowed uncomfortably at the amount of blood on his son's uniform. The poor girl must have bled out quickly. Scott was covered all across his chest and there was a blood-stained hand mark across the middle of his chest, the hand print was too small to be Scott's. It was only serving to reinforce to Jeff how close he had come to losing his son today. He had never seen his son so grieved for a stranger. Jeff gently began to stitch Scott's face.

'Scott, I owe that girl as much as you, she saved my son's life! Rest assured we will care for her and protect her where possible. It's already in hand.'

Scott visibly relaxed a little.

'I can check on her later?' Scott was referring to their client confidentiality procedure.

Jeff nodded, he was sure they could wave it aside in this instance. He was concentrating on making the sutures as neat as possible. Scott always forgot that his Dad was good at this kind of thing. He had trained up on the space station to assist the Doctor there, back in the day and had picked up several useful skills as a result.

Jeff ran a hand over Scott's cheek, Scott made eye contact. His father didn't have to say anything, Scott knew the devastation his Father would have suffered if he hadn't come home today. Jeff coughed and abruptly stood up. 'Time for debrief'.

They reassembled in front of Jeff's Desk after Scott had grabbed a quick change. His Face was numb, distorting his speech somewhat. If it wasn't such a serious situation Gordon would have been in hysterics. Penelope and John were joining them, their presence facilitated by their portraits on the wall and the screen on Jeff's desk.

'John what news do you have?' Jeff spun his chair to face John.

'Well I've been listening to the police feeds and so far, they have no leads and no evidence. No foot or fingerprints were found at the spot the sniper was at, only Rose's observation and the trajectory of the bullet places him there. They were able to identify the marksman using a car that had cloned plates; this obviously is unlikely to help them as it is likely the plates will be changed. There is no video footage of the scene as we requested no filming.'

'Safe to say we are dealing with an expert.' Muttered Alan.

'What about you Penelope?'

'Much the same I'm afraid Jeff, although Parker has been studying the information and has managed to trace the bullet and weapon. The Bullet is made of a rare alloy but the rifle is pretty standard. Parker is already consulting some of his contacts to see if they have dealt with this particular marksman or use these bullets. If we can find the manufacturer they may have records of sales that we can work though.'

'Good work Penny, keep it up…and be careful.'

'Will do Jeff over and out.' Penny's pretty face blinkered out of existence as the portrait flicked back into place.

'Boys whilst this investigation is under way I am tempted to suspend international rescue operations until we can secure your safety-'

Several indignant cries arose from the boys situated around him. Jeff raised a hand.

'Let me finish. I know that this wouldn't sit well with any of us so we will still operate but with heightened security. Brains will ensure that we have a live 360-degree CCTV feed from each earth-based Thunderbird.' Brains had been observing quietly from the sidelines but was now furiously scribbling a list whilst voicing 'Y…yes Mister Tr..Tracy.'

'Good, John you are going to ask the police to be in attendance at each rescue, no matter how remote. If they aren't there then we won't land, understand?'

'Yes sir'.

'Finally, I know that we agreed that we would no longer carry firearms as we were a rescue organisation and our primary goal is to save lives, not to take them. From this moment on I am reinstating your fire arms; you need to be able to defend yourselves should you be attacked again.'

'Are you saying it could happen again father?' Virgil interjected.

'Yes, son I am afraid so, we need to be on our guard. Any questions?'

'Yeah' Scott piped up. 'How's Rose John? Have you heard anything?' Scott knew his brother had been listening to the police reports.

John looked as though he had clearly hoped Scott wouldn't ask him. 'The police are waiting to speak to her as she is one of the only solid witnesses. At present they have been informed that she is in a critical condition but out of surgery. I promise I will let you know more when I can.'

'Thanks John. May I be dismissed father?' Scott's expression was pained.

'You may.' Jeff replied gently watching his son go. He wanted to tell him not to feel guilty but he knew that wouldn't change how Scott was feeling. The rest of the boys dispersed.

Two days passed without rescues but everyone was still on edge for the next call, there had still been no further information on the incident so the would-be killer was still at large. The brothers had gathered in the games room and were practicing shooting targets. Alan was a natural shot and often hit his target, Gordon's training naturally made him better with distance shooting rather then close range and he was venting his frustration at not being able to hit the target. Virgil was taking a break and watching Scott. He had his earphones and goggles on and was staring intently down the barrel of the pistol. He had been like this for five minutes now. Scott was typically a precision shooter but he was…off today. Several times Virgil had watched him squeeze the trigger but not fully. He was fighting an internal battle of some kind. Virgil suspected that he was still reeling from the close call he had the other day. He knew that his brother had barely slept since if his pacing in his room was anything to go by.

Just then the buzzer went off. 'Finally, a call!' Gordon quickly stored his weapon before running up to the lounge, his brothers followed. They entered just in time to hear their Father take the call. 'Go ahead John'.

'I have had an emergency call from a distressed pilot over the Pacific Ocean. The air bus has suffered a catastrophic engine failure and is losing altitude quickly. There are 30 passengers on board.'

'Time is of the essence, Scott – Virgil and Gordon you know what to do.'

'FAB father'.

They began to head to their respective birds. Jeff felt relieved that it was an aerial rescue and not at a precise location or in the UK again. Less likely to be targeted if heaven forbid it wasn't a singular incident.

'Keep me informed John'

'Will do, Thunderbird 5 out.'

'Well at least this rescue should be ok.' Alan settled back onto the couch.

'I sure hope so.' Jeff felt the anxiety brewing quicker than usual.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

'Virgil, I'm approaching danger zone; E.T.A 5 minutes. What is your E.T.A?'

'About 10 Scott.'

'Alright, see you soon.'

Scott now had a visual on the airbus. It was certainly dropping quickly, a plume to dark smoke out the back. He tried to make contact with the craft directly.

'This is international rescue, do you copy?'

'Help! Help us please, Oh God we're all going to die!' A distressed women's voice came through the speaker.

'Please, try to remain calm help is on the way. For now, I'm going to try and slow your decent.' What Scott was going to attempt to do was incredibly risky; they could both end up in a free fall if he wasn't careful. He didn't have the power to clamp on and tow the plane to safety but he could create some drag to slow the thing until Virgil arrived. He let the cable loose and the grapple made contact on the first try. He then applied his retros to start slowing them. Although Scott could slow the plane and probably gently dunk her in the ocean he had no means to winch the passengers to safety and he only had one cable which wasn't enough to lift a plane with a failing engine.

Just then, Virgil pulled up along side him.

'Boy am I glad to see you!'

'Come on Scott time to let the big boys play.' Virgil smiled to himself.

'Alright show off'. They both knew he was referring to the giant green machine that Virgil had the pleasure of piloting. It would be big enough to carry the weight of this small air bus easily to safety. Virgil started to hover above the plane and deploy the cables.

Scott radioed through to the pilot of the stricken craft again. 'International rescue calling. If you can hear me I need you to reduce the speed if you can and cut the engine on my cue'.

'Help! Help us please!' The Women's voice cried again. Virgil had now fully lowered from above and secured the cables. They were all free falling. Scott had a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.

'What's your name pilot?'

'Oh God we're all going to die!'

'Virgil something's not right! Disengage now!' Scott severed his cable link with the plane.

'What?! If we do that these people die, we are nearly at impact.'

'Please – Virgil!'.

A thunderous explosion erupted, flashing across Scott's view point in a bright orange fireball. The sheer force of the blast knocked him off course at the side of the plane. He had to fight with the controls to regain control. He also had to shield his eyes momentarily as he was bathed in a sharp orange flash of light.

'No, no, no!' Shouted Scott swinging Thunderbird one up and around. He could temporarily see coloured spots in his vision before he could see that Thunderbird two was on fire, the flames cascading from her underside and thrusters. She had taken the full impact from below, the most vulnerable place that she could have done. She was no longer on a flight path but plummeting to the ocean below, surrounded by the wreckage that had been a plane just a moment before.


	4. Chapter 4

Everything was happening so quickly. Thunderbird two was plummeting into the ocean and there was nothing he could do. The panic was bubbling inside him, reaching a crescendo that he could barely control. He had unfortunately experienced this before when Virgil had been shot at on a military exercise, in a case of mistaken identity. It was like Déjà vu but he had seen enough plane crashes at sea to know that the mortality rate was high. Could Virgil cheat fate again? 'Virgil can you hear me?!' No answer. 'Gordon, come in, do you read me? Shit!' She was free falling and they were unresponsive. Scott quickly realised he also had another problem. If this was sabotage then it was likely that this was just the beginning. They could still face further attack and they were so vulnerable!

'Dad? Dad! I need to you respond and quickly!' Scott was still free falling with TB2; he didn't want to abandon his brothers until he had to. He was scanning the sky continually for other craft. His hands were shaking on the controls.

Jeff was immediately tense at his son's tone and lack of radio discipline. It took a lot to panic his eldest so he knew he was dealing with a potential tragedy.

'I'm here. What do you need me to do?' Jeff didn't waste anytime.

'Dad I'm watching Virgil and Gordon drop like a fiery meteor to the ocean and I can't get a response. I need you to reach out to the local Air force and Navy stat, anyone near our position!'

'F.A.B son, I'll get John to keep trying to rouse them, keep the communication open'.

Scott nodded.

 _Think! Think! There must be something I can do!_ His mind was scarily blank when it was usually so resourceful, the fact that it was his brothers…. The responsibility of getting this wrong… _Snap out of it Tracy!_ echoed the memory of his old captain.

At this rate it was the speed of impact that was going to be the issue. Thunderbird 2 was shaped like a projectile and would hit the water like a bullet. He needed to slow her somehow and fast! It was also winter here and the ocean was rough, complicating any hope of a rescue. He thought about the grapple again, realistically it was his only shot but instead of just reversing the thrust he thought of another tactic. It would more than likely be futile but he had to try. He had to get her nose up so she didn't breach under the water. Sinking shouldn't be a problem as the main pod was made to float so that Thunderbird four could be dropped and collected. The grapple and Thunderbird one could act like an aerial anchor so at least Thunderbird two was securely tethered to something. He lined up the shot and fired but his hands were still shaky, sweat poring from his skin and making them slippery. Damn it! He missed! He tried again and the connection was made. He quickly slammed on the controls and aimed Thunderbird 1 heavenward on vertical flight and prayed for it to be enough. Thunderbird 2 was a hulk of a craft 250 ft long and 406 tonnes, in comparison to Thunderbird one's measly 115ft and 140 tonnes. It wasn't going to be easy.

They now had just 1020ft to impact. Scott shot upwards but not too fast in fear of severing the grapple line. It was the only time he could describe his aircraft as sluggish, he could feel the enormous weight of the craft below. Thunderbird one was straining like a frustrated thoroughbred on the start line. Great plumes of white smoke billowing from the rockets below. Scott was still being dragged from the sky. He tried Virgil again. 'Virgil! If you ever needed to listen to me; its now, lift her up!' Nothing again, Scott took Thunderbird one up to maximum, she was shaking all around him like she was going to shatter. Scott's piloting skills were also being pushed to the limit as he tried not to get sucked down with the stricken craft.

Scott suddenly felt the weight lessen and the line went slack a little so he allowed himself to slacken the speed off a bit. Just to check it really was happening.

'Thanks for the tow brother, I think I can take it from here.' he sounded rough.

'Gordon?'

'Yeah, Virgil's a little concussed - don't have time to check how badly, I had to move him to take control.' Gordon sounded tense despite trying to shrug it off. He tried not to think about it. Their father was still present on the call.

'Good to hear from you son, now let's get you out of there so we can get you both home safe. Can you pilot her to safety?'

There was a pause as Gordon assessed the control panel. 'Let's just say its like Christmas in here and not in a good way but I have a functioning engine and if I expel the pod there will be less weight for the engines to cope with but that means my baby get's left behind.' He was referring to Thunderbird 4 which they had brought along in case it ended up being a water rescue.

'Father! Did you get a response for assistance? I have three unidentified craft ahead.' Scott cut in.

'Negative son, there was no one in the area they won't reach you until at least 1600 hours.' That was over an hour from now.

'Well then we've got company'. Scott flexed his hands over the missile controls. 'Gordon its time for you to leave, I'll take on these guys. Permission to engage father.'

'Scott, you should leave with Gordon.'

'No, I need to give him time to flee. She's not the fastest at the best of times let alone damaged! I can handle this. Just like the old days.'

'I'm losing altitude! I've got to release the pod! But what if Thunderbird four is captured?'

There was silence from both the boys.

'Do-it, your lives are my priority here'.

'Right'

'Drop it now Gordon, I will guard it.'

'FAB Scott.'

The planes could be seen clearly now. They would be in striking distance in _Five_ , _Four ,Three_ …. 'Gordon get out of here! And don't wait around on my account.'

'Scott' –

_Two…One_

'GO!'

Gordon started to leave just as the firing began. Scott had already turned to face them head on; he thought he had been done with all of this when he joined IR. He feinted to the left then rolled over to the right to avoid fire and flew upwards. There were few craft that could match his acceleration - if any. One of the planes tailed off to try and follow Gordon so Scott slammed the controls downwards, sailing through the middle of the two that had been on his tail. He could see the pilots shocked faces as he passed in lightening speed. They were still ascending, not agile enough to catch him. Scott was already on the tail of the one after Gordon. He watched the plume of smoke in satisfaction as the plane went down and the pilot was propelled out of the craft, suspended like a little toy solider in the sky on his parachute.

'One down.' Scott murmured as the firing started again from behind. Scott continued to lead them on a high-speed chase, always just one slight step ahead of the fire. He started counting and then quickly cut the engine and nose dived like a stone out of the air. To the pilots above it looked like he had simply punched it into hyperspace momentarily before they realised they were being fired on from behind. The next one plummeted to the ocean after a spectacular shot.

'And then there was one, come on you son of a bitch!' he frowned angrily.

This plane had been weaving in and out of Scott's line of fire which was infuriating but he had him pretty cornered apart from Scott now felt that he was too far from the pod to protect it. It was like an exercise of capture the flag, constant vying and bloody warfare in a desperate bid to hold the position.

The enemy pilot had realised this and was trying to lure Scott away, knowing that he couldn't risk him going after the damaged international rescue craft.

Scott growled in frustration and slammed Thunderbird one into a roll behind the craft shooting the entire time. Smoke started to appear on the plane before it dropped out of his line of vision.

'Damn it!' Scott could feel the pelting the underside of Thunderbird one was being subjected to. He skyrocketed again before diving down and drilling through the air like a missile. Scott was fearless as he pursued the other plane downwards; he was confident in Brains' engineering and knew there was only a small percentage of her cutting out on him with such a manoeuvre. He aimed at the craft in front of him, hell! He'd run through it if he had too! This time Scott exclaimed in jubilation as the plane finally burst into flames and spiraled down to earth. This time he saw no visible survivors.

Scott quickly established himself and darted back to where the pod had been dropped. He wanted to check in with his family but the mission was far from complete.

After scanning the sky for additional targets, he swooped into a fly-by just above the ocean and was horrified to discover the ramp was down, the pod bobbing up and down on the turbulent sea. Pod Four was empty.


	5. Chapter 5

Gordon was almost out of danger. The help that had been due to arrive had finally caught up with him and he was now under the protection of the Australian air force. He breathed a sharp sigh of relief, safe in the knowledge that he could see at least five fighter jets surrounding him. He had been constantly checking for hostile craft even after Scott had radioed to confirm he had eliminated the threats. Two was too badly damaged to reach home so they were guiding him to a secure air base where they had been guaranteed security and privacy. Medical and emergency teams were on standby to receive them. How strange thought Gordon; that they had been placed into a situation where they needed to be rescued themselves. He couldn't believe they had been sabotaged so easily. The plane had been like a Trojan horse, a deadly trap.

Gordon was given clearance to land. He found that as much as he racked his brain he couldn't figure out how he had flown here. He was starting to shake and it scared him. The adrenaline was threatening to consume him even though the danger had long past. He glanced across at his brother in the seat next to him. It wasn't ideal, he literally had time to check that Virgil had a pulse and to strap him in to the nearest unoccupied chair because they had still been plummeting out of the sky. Gordon's knuckles turned white gripping the wheel at the memory. Right now, Virgil's face was pale against his golden-brown locks, which were partially obscuring his face as they cascaded downwards. There was blood dripping on his yellow sash from some unseen head wound. He hung forwards, limp like a marionette without a puppeteer. Gordon was worried about his brother's airways, potential internal injuries, trauma to the head and neck….God! he would be glad to land. He needed to know that Virgil would be ok. How could this happen? Gordon flinched as he turned to face forward in preparation to land. He was pretty confident he had whiplash and soon his ability to turn his neck at all would be greatly compromised. He also felt like a lead weight had suppressed part of his upper torso, his arms shook as he brought her into land. It was going to be bumpy, he wasn't a skilled pilot at the best of times (It not being his primary skill) and not having any usable landing gear left didn't help. 'Sorry Virgil' he muttered to himself as his brother's beloved bird crashed into the asphalt tearing it up and her underside to pieces as she skidded to a halt. Gordon cried out as he was thrown forwards into his harness. Christ! It hurt! After what seemed like an eternity and almost tipping off the edge of the runway Thunderbird two ground to a halt. The groaning and screeching of the hull was replaced by a gentle hissing and crackling of flames beginning anew from the damaged engines.

Sirens sounded and emergency services sped into action; Gordon fumbled with his harness and dragged himself out of the cockpit to rush over to his brother. He released two's door as he did so. He bent down over Vigil and was relieved to feel his brother's breath on his cheek. He checked his pulse, it was weak but present. He was gently trying to rouse his brother as the paramedics entered.

He didn't remember much apart from a sea of green surrounding his brother, hands grabbing apparatus and communicating quickly with each other. At some point he realised he had been taken aside and sat in the chair opposite. He sat stunned and motionless as a paramedic scanned a torch at both his pupils. He asked him to follow his finger. Gordon did as he was told and felt something drape around him. The next thing they knew he was being walked out of the cockpit. He tried to shake his head before wincing in pain. 'I can't – I can't leave. He wouldn't want me to. The craft shouldn't be unattended.'

The medic turned to face Gordon with his lapis lazuli eyes. Gordon was almost lost in their depth; it reminded him of the ocean at home. 'We need to get you treated, you're in shock. The ship will be guarded; one of your operatives is already on the way to reclaim her.' Scott – the name came to Gordon unspoken as he visibly relaxed. Scott would make all of this ok, he knew what to do. He always had done since they were young. Gordon allowed himself to be walked off into the ambulance.

Scott slammed his hand down on the arm of the pilot seat in anger. How could he have been so stupid as to let them get away with four!

'Base to Thunderbird one, come in'

'Go ahead father.' Scott tried not to frown as he was faced with an equally worried and stressed patriarch.

'Scott, Gordon has landed safely. They are receiving treatment now including Virgil.' Scott released a breath he hadn't been aware he was suppressing. 'What's your current situation, are you hurt?' Jeff face was etched with lines of worry. He was trying not to think about the fact that he could have lost all three of his son's today.

'No, maybe just my pride. We have bigger problems though, I successfully terminated three enemy craft but in doing so, I lost Thunderbird Four.'

'Lost her?' There was that tone that Scott didn't like, the one where it signaled the calm before the storm.

'Yeah, when I doubled back I discovered that someone has cut into the pod and stolen Four, she's gone father. I'm sorry I should have dealt with the situation quicker.'

It was the first time Scott had seen surprise followed by shock register on his dad's face. Scott looked at the floor, downcast.

'Don't you blame yourself son, you were out numbered and your brothers in danger. You did the best you….

'Thunderbird 5 to Thunderbird 1' John's crisp American accent cut through the conversation.

'Go ahead Thunderbird 5; Base and Thunderbird one receiving you.'

'I have W.A.S.P on the line father; they are at Scott's location now. They reached the location after our distress call. They have some information I think you should hear.'

'Ok John, patch them in, would you?'

'F.A.B'

'This is Thunderbird one, I understand you have some information?' Scott cocked his head to listen to the audio. No video screens were permitted to maintain secrecy on outside calls. Jeff and John listened intently. Scott could see the little metallic blue and yellow sub below, bobbing on the oceans surface.

'This is Troy Tempest of Stingray. That's right Sir. We received your distress call whilst on a training exercise. As we arrived we saw a large submarine speed off with a yellow craft attached. We tried to pursue but were fired upon. By the time the debris cleared we had lost them.'

'They might still be in the area! We could trace them but we can't catch them, Thunderbird Four is our only water-based craft. Can you hold the line Tempest?'

'Sure, thing International Rescue.'

Scott changed to a secure line. 'Father could we give them Thunderbird Four's tracker? Then they could try and retrieve her for us?'

'Brains is ready to relay the information to them now, meanwhile I need you to return to Tracy island to collect Alan and Brains so we can retrieve Thunderbird two and your brothers. I don't like this at all, we are too vulnerable. Too many parties involved.'

'What choice do we have Father? We are going to have to trust people. At least we know W.A.S.P are a sound organisation.' Scott was referring to the fact that his brother was a former W.A.S.P personnel.

'You're right we have no choice but it doesn't mean I have to like it. Tell W.A.S.P they must keep in contact with us in regards to the situation. Hourly.'

'Okay, I'll finish up here and then I'll be back to base.' Scott signed off.

'Stingray, this is Thunderbird one'

'Receiving you, go ahead.'

'Would you be able to help us retrieve Thunderbird 4 If we supply you with her trace details, she has a tracker installed?'

There was a pause whilst Troy consulted with his co-pilot.

'An ordinary day just got exciting. We'd love to help. Send us the details and we will do our best for you International Rescue.'

'Great, my colleague will be sending over the details now, it's imperative that Thunderbird Four is retrieved. Please remain in constant contact with us. I would stay to assist you but I need to retrieve our other pilots as a matter of urgency, their craft was destroyed in the attack.'

'You can rely on us International Rescue, we'll be in touch. I Hope your colleagues are safe now'.

'Thank you, they are. We owe you one Tempest.'

'I might hold you to that.' Troy Tempest smiled.

'Over and out.'

Scott had already secured the winch to the pod and had set off towards base. He took longer than usual to get home, doubling up on himself a couple of times. He did not want to be followed and it was awkward lugging Thunderbird 2's pod along. It was a good hour and a half by the time he got back and darkness was descending. Scott dropped the pod off outside Two's hangar ready to be stored. No doubt his father and Brains had already planned for it to be thoroughly checked for evidence. Scott wearily reversed one into her hangar. He was exhausted but he knew it was far from over yet. He ran a hand over his face, catching his gauze on his cheek as he did so.

Back in the living room he was greeted by his father and Kyrano with a plate of heated up dinner. The others had eaten hours ago. Scott began to scoff it hungrily whilst his father updated him on the situation.

'First of all, Virgil is still unconscious'… Scott paused with a forkful of beef to his mouth in concern. 'but stable.' Scott carried on eating; he knew he needed to keep his strength up. It meant he could see his brothers quicker and make sure that they were ok himself.

'They say he does have severe concussion but no other substantial injuries, they will reassess him when he is awake. Gordon was in shock but has since recovered; he has sustained a nasty whiplash injury. Both are unable to fly so you will need to take Alan with you as well as Brains. Brain's is loading the spare components into the carrier plane that Alan will pilot. It's a good job that after the last incident we decided to keep spares here. It would have taken months to rebuild two otherwise.' Jeff paused to neck the whisky next to him. He noticed his son had finished eating all ready. He must have been starved as he had missed lunch too. Jeff was still internally debating whether to join them, he was more concerned about Virgil then he would let on for Scott and Alan's sake. He could also see how dog tired his son was but he needed to make sure that Thunderbird 4 was found.

'Are we ready to go then?' Scott asked as Alan walked up to the desk in his uniform.

'As long as you are sure son, you have had an intense day. Do you need to rest?'

'I'm alright; I'd rest easier when we are all safely back here.'

'Agreed. Good luck all of you, I will continue to monitor the situation with four and John is advising emergency services across the globe of our current predicament.'

Scott dumped his plate on the coffee table with a clatter and strode to the portrait in the corner. He swiveled around into the silo where his Thunderbird had barely cooled down from its last outing. Brains and Alan took the passenger elevator to the hangar ready to fly the rented carrier plane with Thunderbird two's new parts. It was going to be a long night Scott reflected.


	6. Chapter 6

The room was white; which was painful to eyes that had grown accustomed to the dark. It was also sparse of furniture and very quiet. He blinked a couple of times and tentatively licked his dry lips. That was when the dull throbbing took over; Ouch! My head! Vigil looked down at his hands above the white sheets to see an IV protruding out of his skin. What happened? Why am I here? A panic started to swell in him but he couldn't work out why. His thoughts were interrupted by a stranger sat at his bed; he turned to face the man. 'Virgil? Hey buddy its ok. Your safe now, can you remember what happened?' Virgil didn't reply. The man had a soft American accent, much like his own and sounded like someone who should be familiar to him. Virgil drank in the details of the stranger. He was around five foot eight and of a slim build with a shock of auburn almost ginger hair with caramel eyes and defined cheek bones. He would guess that he was in his early twenties. Why couldn't he remember what happened? The more important question sprung from his mouth. 'Who are you?'

He watched the shock register on the younger man's face. 'Virgil, you don't remember me?!' Gordon was trying to contain the alarm in his voice but failing.

'I'm sorry, should I?'

'Virgil you're my brother, one of my many brothers. It's me Gordon'.

'I have brothers? If that's true then why I can't I remember? I suppose everyone must have a family?' Virgil paused with a pained expression as he strained to remember his family's faces but there was just blankness, no… a blockage in his mind? He couldn't see past it… his breathing quickened. 'I…I..I don't remember! Why can't I picture my family? Who I am I? Oh god I can't remember!' involuntary tears flowed with no purpose to Virgil's jumbled mind. Why am I crying, I don't understand!

The stranger had jumped to his feet and placed a hand on his shoulder, he was shouting for a doctor loud and clearly. 'Hey, don't worry. You had an accident but the doctors are here to help you. The accident is probably why you can't remember.'

The man called Gordon had turned to the doctor at the corner of the room and was talking quietly but rapidly. The Doctor came over to the bed, clipboard tablet in hand.

Gordon watched the consultation with a feeling of dread, his own injuries quite forgotten thanks to the pain of his brother not registering who he was. He couldn't describe what he was feeling; confusion, fear even. Grief? His brother had looked upon him as a complete stranger. Virgil could always be read by his eyes, they were so emotive. Once they had been filled with love and affection on sight of his brother but just then they had been glassy and unseeing and it terrified Gordon. It was like seeing an impostor in his brother's body. He looked the same but even now Virgil kept glancing over the doctors shoulder with a look of fear and..and mistrust? Gordon smiled to reassure Virgil but inside his heart was breaking at the concept that his brother might never remember him.

Gordon was broken out of his reverie as the Doctor called in a team of porters. He walked over to Gordon, his white coat tails flapping gently in the breeze. The Doctor asked him to sit; he did as he was told. The doctor leant forward and made full eye contact with his brown eyes. The doctor gripped the clipboard; the bronze colour of his skin in stark contrast with the illuminated screen. This was going to be an honest and frank conversation. 'I know by now that you are aware that your brother has likely suffered a type of brain trauma in the accident.'

'Attack' Gordon sharply corrected. He had to clarify that. Some bastard had done this to his brother. His good hand tightened on the steel handle of the chair.

'Well, we have taken him for further CT scans - now he is awake to determine the full extent of the damage. From the questions I have asked him he can identify today's date, memorise number sequences and recall sounds played to him with ease. What he can't remember is the longer-term information; like when he was born, who his father is, where he was raised. It's called retrograde amnesia. I know it sounds scary but it is rare for a patient to never regain their memories. The memories may not be as defined or ordered as they were before but there are things we can do to help your brother.

Gordon nodded mutely. 'I know it's a lot to take in but your injured yourself so try to rest and I will let you know as soon as we know more.' The doctor offered his hand to help Gordon up and back to his own room, he refused. He wanted to know when Virgil made it back. The doctor had a bed brought into the room instead in case Gordon wanted to take his advice and rest.

'Approaching the base now Father'.

'F.A.B son. They're going to arrive awhile after you in the carrier so I want you to liaise with the teams there and to find out how Virgil and Gordon are. I need to know how they are more than anything. It's been quiet for too long.'

'I'll be in touch as soon as I know, over and out.'

Scott yawned and jumped down from the pilot's seat, the day and now night were catching up with him. He didn't like the fact that he was approaching thirty and the way he felt only served to reinforce his resentment towards the inevitable onset aches and tiredness. To be fair he was more likely exhausted from the worry that his brothers were injured after being attacked by an unknown entity that was targeting their organisation.

Air Marshall Thompson was on hand to greet Scott as he disembarked.

'Greeting's international rescue, may I first say that we are sorry you were attacked. Despicable business, we have teams investigating the incident now.'

'Thank you. First of all, I would like to know how our operatives are after the incident. They're like family to us.' Scott implied in a military sense of the word family.

'Of course, I will take you to see them first and we can discuss business later.'

Scott followed the Air Marshall apprehensively over to the medic wing. He had been worrying the entire 30 minutes it took him to get over here. He couldn't get the images of two falling out of the sky in a fireball and the feeling of helplessness as he couldn't reach his brothers. When would the memory stop replaying?

He was shown into a room. He was immediately concerned that he hadn't been shown through to see his brothers directly. Despite the number of empty chairs in the waiting room, Scott took to trying to pace out the anxiety by burning a path in the waiting room floor, the clock on the wall painfully reminding him of the seconds and minutes passing. He tensed at the echo of footsteps in the corridor and the twist of the handle. He stopped and tried to restore his professional demeanour. A tall doctor with dark brown close shaved hair and kindly face entered.

'Ah another international rescue member. I understand that you have come to collect the aircraft?'

'And our operatives if they are well enough to travel.'

'That needs to be discussed, please take a seat'.

'Are they ok? I saw them go down and I need to know'.

'I understand, first of all have their family members been informed? I know they are brothers but they refused to give me their surname.'

'That's protocol we are a secret agency but I understand there will be an element of doctor/patient confidentiality here?'

'Yes, I am duty bound'.

'Good.' Scott opened the file on his tablet as they talked.

'In an event such as this, the field commander is entitled to disclose details of our operatives if it is deemed a medical emergency. My Name is Scott and I am the field commander and they are my brothers by blood.' Scott let that sink in.

'Ok, well let's not delay with the formalities any longer then. Gordon was conscious on arrival but suffering from acute shock and a severe whiplash injury. He needs a week's rest and gentle physio but will recover. I notice from x-rays that he has had previous trauma to his spine but luckily the additional injury sustained to his neck this time has not opened old wounds so to speak.'

Scott couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. He always worried that Gordon would be injured on rescues because thanks to the hydrofoil accident he had a higher susceptibility to spinal injuries than the rest of them did.

'Then we have our next patient'.

'Virgil' Scott supplied.

'Yes, Virgil was found unconscious at the scene and your brother reported he had been that way since the initial impact around 40 minutes before they arrived here. Virgil is awake and we have run some CT scans. Unfortunately, he has suffered a brain injury.' Scott's face lost all colour and composure, my little brother has a brain injury?

'It is most likely caused by trauma to the frontal lobe of the brain which in this case is swelling. It is hoped that this is temporary as it is in most cases. The difficult thing to judge is the recovery period and the depth of that recovery. Some patients will start to remember things quickly, others it can take considerably longer.'

'What kind of memory loss?' Scott managed to whisper.

'Well at present he has complete short-term memory so he knows the date and can memorise information for a time. What he doesn't have is his long-term memories. We discovered this when he didn't recognise Gordon.'

Scott stood up abruptly and staggered back.

'I'm sorry what did you say?'

'That he didn't know your brother, in fact he can't recall any of his family or friends. He can't recall yesterday or even where he lives.'

Scott covered his mouth and looked back at the doctor. 'Are you sure?'

'I'm afraid so.'

'Well what do we do? how can we help him?'

'It's very important not to push him to remember as it will likely be painful and frustrating for him. He may be prone to bouts or anger or depression in the early days but you need to remain positive for his sake and try to stimulate his memories gently. Ask him to keep a journal. The memories if and when they do come are likely to assault his senses and he will struggle to process it in his mind so it's better if he logs it. We will give you a full set of instructions and help with regular check ups'.

Scott nodded numbly a man that had arrived so confident now so shattered by unthinkable news. 'Can I see them now?'


	7. Chapter 7

Scott had reported in and delivered the awful news. They were all staying overnight at the base until they had got their heads together. His poor boys! What on earth was happening? First Scott, then his mother and now this! He wasn't sure he could take much more. What a terrible year! He buried his head in his hands. Poor Vigil, how would he recover? And Gordon having to find out in that way, the pain he must have experienced…

'I am so sorry Mr Tracy. Poor Virgil'. He looked up to see Tin-Tin close to tears. She offered him a silent hug which he gratefully received. 'I know you are Tin-Tin thank you.'

They were interrupted with a beep beep of the buzzer. Jeff untangled himself from Tin-Tin's embrace. 'Oh god, that's John I don't know if I can face him.' Jeff ran a hand across his mouth much like the gesture Scott so often displayed when under stress.

'Go ahead John'.

'Father, I have some great news about Thunderbird 4'.

 _Good we need some good news_ 'What about her John?' Jeff listened carefully.

'I've just been speaking with Troy Tempest from W.A.S.P - he's a great guy! I can see why Gordon was so in awe of him when he was young. They tracked Thunderbird 4 to an underwater silo and ran a sting operation with other W.A.S.P crews. They have successfully secured her. Shall I put you through? He's on the line'. John was so happy at the news; Jeff didn't want to be the one to ruin it for him.

'Dad, are you alright? Is something wrong?'

Jeff shook himself. 'It's ok son, put them through but hold the line, I need to talk to you afterwards'.

'Sure thing, putting you through now'.

'I hear you have the first bit of good news I've had all day' Jeff's mind kept wandering to his middle son. 'Yes sir. We have detained two men in regards to the theft and threatening a W.A.S.P officer by holding him hostage. We also have a yellow sub in our possession. She is unharmed from what we can see.'

'Are you interviewing the two men?'

'We will be shortly.'

'Would you be able to patch me in via video link? I should like to hear what they have to say but we won't encroach on your investigation.'

'Higher up may not like it but I reckon I can fix it.'

'Thank you, can Thunderbird four be held secure until we can collect her? Thanks to the attack earlier our main craft has been grounded until repaired. It would only be for a couple of days at most'.

'If it helps sir we could drop her off at a secure location if you had one? I'm not keen to take her back. It would be quite a responsibility to maintain the secrecy among the organisation.'

'Understood. I'll send over the coordinates now'. Jeff was going to have her secured at agent 150's secure boathouse. He was already messaging the agent now.

'Perfect, we'll be in contact'.

'Thank you gentleman.'

Jeff flicked back to John. It was 5 am island time, Jeff hadn't slept a wink. None of them had and he wouldn't until all his boys were home or safely ensconced in Thunderbird 5. 'John, I need you to grab a seat'. His father had finally lost his composure now business was done. He looked bereft and it scared John, he knew something bad had happened for sure. He sat promptly and waited for his dad to spill.

'John it's about Virgil…'

By the time his dad had finished John was numb. _How could someone have done this? First Scott, now this! Who were these people? Why target us when all we do is help?_

'John…'

_I will find them; I have access to everything up here! I will have justice for Virgil, for Scott and Gordon!_

'John!' Jeff raised his voice.

John jumped and shot his dad a teary look of determination before typing furiously.

'Son, talk to me. Don't shut me out, please; your isolated enough as it is. I wish I could be there with you.'

'It's ok dad, I'm going to find who did this.' John was resolute. It was something Jeff learnt to be wary of - even in his son's early development. He would push and strive until he burnt himself to exhaustion to achieve his goal.

'John, I have our best agents on the case, they are all on high alert. You've never seen anything like it. W.A.S.P has those two men to interview. We'll get a break soon.'

'Dad, I have access to all their reports up here and the police and the army-

'John, you know we have a code to respect the privacy of other organisations, we're not a big brother organisation. That's not our purpose'.

'Screw privacy dad! Someone is attacking our organisation, my family! Privacy can resume when we've caught the - (Jeff cringed at the number of expletives from his quietest son). 'John please that's enough, it's not like I don't care too!' Jeff frowned angrily at his son.

'Sorry Dad! I just I can't take it. Someone has robbed my brother of his memory! We are strangers to him; will he ever get his life back? What if one of us is killed next time?' Fresh tears poured down his face; Virgil was the one that John always confided in. He and John used to do everything together when they were young and they routinely used to gang up on Scott, until the others came along. John found it hard to express himself but Virgil had an aptitude for getting it out of him. He couldn't even begin to describe how he was really feeling but Virgil would have known. Meanwhile Jeff knew his son's burst of temper had stemmed from fear and compassion for his brothers. 'I know it's far from ok son but we will figure this out. Thunderbirds will not be deploying until we do. I am not risking any of you anymore.'

Jeff closed the call, alone in his lounge. Perhaps out of all the shocking events of the last 48 hours was the fact that for the first time, all his sons were away from home for the night. Whoever were behind these attacks had not only dismantled his beloved rescue organisation but they had split his family and shattered them to pieces at the same time. Everything he loved and cared for was in ashes. The lump in his throat became more pronounced as silent tears that had been threatening to fall spilled onto his desk.

Scott had crashed for a couple of hours out of sheer exhaustion. He had slept in Thunderbird one to ensure her safety. Right now, he didn't trust a damn soul outside of IR and was on high alert, despite being in a secure compound. Of course, he would have preferred to sleep next to his brother's bedside but since Virgil didn't know who he was, he figured it wasn't appropriate. Scott tried to suppress the rawness of that statement. He had been to see Virgil. Apart from the large bandage on his forehead you wouldn't know anything had happened to him. He had been sat up in bed as Scott entered. The doctors had warned him to keep it simple, don't talk too much about the accident or family as it might frustrate or upset him that he couldn't remember. Try to stick to present subjects. Scott knocked at the door.

'Erm, may I come in?

'Sure, are you here with Gordon?'

'Yes, how did you know?' Scott asked surprised. There was a tinge of excitement to his voice.

'I figured - you're wearing the same uniform'.

'Ah' of course, he had lost his memory but that didn't mean he had lost the ability to observe. He sat down on the seat wearily. There was an awkward pause as the brothers tried to figure out what to say to each other. This was a bad idea thought Scott. He wasn't sure he could hold it together, trying to make polite conversation whilst dying inside at his brother's condition. It was too much to comprehend in the flesh. 'Tough day huh?' Scott smiled at him 'You could say that'. Scott looked at his hands. 'What is IR?' Virgil questioned looking at the symbol on Scott's blue sash.

'It stands for International Rescue. Our purpose is to help those in need of rescue globally. We have advanced specialist equipment that can help those in even the most remote or dire locations.' _It's our Father's brainchild and you pilot Thunderbird 2. We are almost always on rescues together_ ; Scott refrained from mentioning that part.

'Sounds like an amazing thing to do, did you and Gordon rescue me then?'

'I was there but there was nothing I could do to help but Gordon was able to get you to safety.'

'It seems I owe him more than I thought'.

Scott rose to leave, he couldn't manage any longer. He might make things worse and talking to his brother was like talking to a stranger. He knew it was selfish but he couldn't do it.

'I am sure he will tell you that you don't owe him anything, I'll be back later I just need to go and check on Gordon too. I am glad that you are safe and I hope you recover soon.'

'Hey?'

Scott paused and took his hand off of the door handle to face Virgil.

'I'm sorry; I don't know your name?'

Scott felt like he had been punched in the heart and watched as it was ripped out of him. 'It's Scott; I'll be back tomorrow to see how you are'.

He left the room quickly, rushing past a nurse in the corridor trying to wipe his streaming eyes.

Scott pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes to try and shove the painful memory away before it flooded him again. He flipped back the sheet and stretched awkwardly to ease the kinks in his back, he was tall and the make shift camp bed had been too short for him. Years of sleeping on such things in the force had knackered his back spectacularly. He sat up and dragged his boots back on before heading out to Thunderbird Two. The quicker they could repair her the quicker they could all return home.

As he had expected Brains was already working on Thunderbird two along with Alan. 'Morning; where's Gordon?' Gordon had chosen to sleep in the same room as Alan last night.

'With Virgil, he figured that he should try to explain that we might be going home today. Gordon thought it would be best coming from him. To introduce more brothers this early on might overwhelm him'. Alan talked as he worked, he could see the logic but he really wanted to see Virgil. Scott nodded. He needed to check in with Gordon later, he was worried about the impact all of this was having on him when he was injured himself.

'OK and where are we at with all this Brains?'

'W..We..Well Scott. It's a..a mess for sure. We still have wh..whole thrusters to replace and I..I need to rewire the system.' Scott was already rolling up his sleeves to the elbows.

'Well let's crack on then.' Hard graft was exactly what he needed.

The three of them had worked in silent unity on the air craft for about three hours. Some of the personnel from the base watched them in wonder as they realised that these IR guys were much more than just search and rescue. They marveled at their engineering skills and the speed which they worked at. The guy with the glasses was obviously a genius. Hell! They could do with guys like this! They had been ordered to only speak when spoken to and not to question IR in order to maintain their secrecy as much as possible. With the recent attacks they had suffered they seemed to be even stricter with their policy. They hadn't even needed proper clearance to enter base. A call to IR's senior commander had sufficed. A ginger haired lad walked up to the three IR members, he was with the one who had been badly injured. The word was that they were brothers but that could just be hearsay. Chinese whispers spread like wildfire through the base at times like these.

'Are we anywhere near leaving? I'd really like to go home now. I just spoke to' – Gordon looked left to right to ensure no one was in earshot that shouldn't be. 'Dad' he finished. Scott straightened and turned to face Gordon.

'Well what did he have to say?'

'That they found TB4, she is being returned home today. Apparently unscathed but I won't believe it until I've completed the checks myself. W.A.S.P also arrested two people in connection with the theft.'

'That's great; are they interviewing them?'

'Yes, in a couple of hours' Gordon looked TB2 up and down. She still had blackened scorch marks over her and rips in the metal paneling. _He remembered hearing it tear off piece by piece in the wind, the chemical smelling of burning, the thick smoke clogging his airway…_

'Are we done here?' Scott asked. Gordon became aware of his surroundings again. Brains had shuffled forwards to Scott's side, wiping his hands on a flannel as he did so.

'Well as y..y..you can s..s..ee she ah! S..still has a long w..ay to go but she's flyable at a steady pace for the A..h..h distance we need.'

'How's Virgil?' Alan asked.

'Weirded out as you can imagine. I've explained it in layman's terms. We live on an uncharted island and that we need to fly to get there.'

'Uh-uh and how did he take that?' Scott folded his arms.

'Just nodded, he's scared of the unknown but he doesn't like it here either. He said he wants to go somewhere he can go outside without a security detail or doctors. I explained home to him a little and he liked the concept.'

'Well that's all we can hope for I suppose'. Scott sighed. 'Right here's what we're gonna do. Alan is going to pilot Thunderbird two.' Alan nodded, with a serious expression. He hoped their repairs were good enough; there would be no turning back over open water. 'Gordon, I know your hurt but the carrier can be set to auto pilot can you manage it?' Gordon nodded instantly; he was on good non-drowsy pain relief. The kind they give to soldiers to tie them over until they get the job done. 'Good. Brains will go with me and Virgil in TB1. The doctors warned me that people with Virgil's type of injury can be panicked easily and memories triggered so Brains is going to make sure he is ok and stays safe on the flight home while I fly. Virgil will be sedated for transit as an extra measure, especially with Gordon not being there as his only constant.' Scott was not going to allow Virgil to get hurt again.

'Y..y..es Scott'

'I'm going to scout ahead and behind and make sure that we are not a target on the flight home with two in such a vulnerable state. Should we be attacked we split and I will try and lure them away. The Air force is going to accompany us for the first 50 miles so hopefully that will be enough to deter any spotters. Any questions?' They all shook their heads. 'Great let's gear up and head on out'.

Scott watched as his sleeping brother was loaded onto TB1. He thanked the Air Marshall for their hospitality and the doctors for the treatment Virgil and Gordon had received. As Virgil was strapped in, he tried not to feel guilty. He should have realised that pilot was fake. It was his job to identify risks and to safeguard them and he had failed. He was a seasoned fighter pilot, he should have known, should have acted sooner. He was startled by a hand on his shoulder.

'I know that look Scott, don't start the; I'm the one to blame thing because you're not. You didn't make those people attack us. You brought us time Scott. We would have died had you not shouted for us to stay clear. We owe you our lives.' Gordon looked at his eldest brother with complete gratitude. Scott half smiled. 'I know but I feel bad still. I'm very glad you're still here'.

'Me too, see you on the other side'.

'F.A.B'

Scott filed in after Brains and settled into the cockpit. He ran through the checks as he waited for Alan and Gordon to reach their positions. He looked to his left and saw the two fighter jets taxi off, to his right another two taxied out of the hangar. Scott heard the screeches further down the runway, signalling that they were airborne. Then slowly he and Alan were pulled out in tandem ready to taxi out themselves. Their birds didn't need runways and therefore they didn't have to venture far before they were given flight clearance by command. A small crowd had gathered to watch them take off. Scott waited with baited breath as TB2 fired up. He hoped to god she would fly!

Alan started the flight sequence and flicked on the controls. 'Come on old girl we can do it can't we?' he patted the dash for luck. He fired the reverse thrusters with his eyes closed. Squinting out the corner of one eye he dared to look at the control panel. It was lit momentarily before everything conked out and he heard the thrusters cut out of existence. 'Damn!' he exclaimed vexed and frowning. He shut everything down before he rebooted her. 'Take two'.

He tried again. This time he heard the engines roar into life. 'Yes!' He punched the air in delight.

'Scott! She's good to go!'

'That's great Alan, take her up and take it easy'.

'Scott I'm not going to fly like a mad thing, I'm not stupid!'

'I know, just be careful please, I don't want another one of us to get hurt.'

'Ok' Alan replied sullenly. He pulled the wheel towards him and felt TB2 lift underneath him.

Scott watched his six and everyone else's all the way home. He was on high alert scanning the horizon and constantly doubling back. 'This is Thunderbird one to Thunderbird two'.

'Thunderbird two receiving you'

'Alan, how's it going? any problems?'

'Not at present as long as we remain at this speed we should be fine. Earlier when we tried to increase speed there was an awful noise and she was shaking but this seems ok so far.' Alan monitored the performance stats on the screen in front of him.

'Great'. Scott's reply was short and abrupt. The lack of sleep combined with the heightened concentration was beginning to wear him down but it wasn't far now. He forced himself to sit straighter in his seat. The air force had left by this point so it was just down to him. They flew in a tight formation, TB1 just ahead of TB2 and the carrier behind. Scott would flit from front to back every now and then to satisfy himself that they were not being followed. His paranoia was worrying his brothers; they would all be relieved when they reached home.

'Alan, I want you to land first, then Gordon.'

'F.A.B Scott'

'Thunderbird 2 to base, requesting permission to land.'

'Permission granted Alan, glad to have you home.' Alan smiled as he begun the landing sequence, the hangar opened automatically as he drew closer.

'Gordon Tracy to base, requesting to land'

'Go ahead son, Scott didn't tell me you were flying, is that safe?'

'Dad chill, it's on auto pilot with the occasional help from me. It's totally safe'.

Scott cut in 'Thunderbird 1 to base, requesting permission to land also'.

'Granted also, Thunderbird one'.

The pool slid open as Scott set TB1 into the vertical position to descend into the silo.

Jeff sipping his third coffee of the morning and set it down with a sigh of relief, at least his boys were finally home safe. They would take the rest a step at a time.


	8. Chapter 8

Deep in the heart of the Malaysian jungle, an unknown force was ready to rise.

'Agent Seven-Nine, come in'.

'Reading you loud and clear General X' A deep voice responded.

'You have excelled yourself this time Agent, International rescue have just released a statement that they are currently out of action after being sabotaged.'

'You are very kind General; I can't wait to implement the next stage of the plan'.

'You lost the submarine though?' There was an awkward silence, the agent's large brows furrowed in frustration giving him a formidable expression.

'Yes that was….unfortunate. It won't happen again'.

'It better not, you have failed me before'.

'It will not happen again General, I am confident that we will succeed. We have failed to take their technology by force but by turning the public against international rescue we will still prevail!' The agent's voice raised a couple of octaves in excitement.

'We will be proceeding with operation shadow hawk at twenty-three hundred hours local time.'

'Excellent, I await your report Agent Seven Nine, over and out'.

The shadowed figure spun round in his chair, locking his fingers in front of him. He had to admit that since the general forced him to assemble a team of agents (Instead of him running like a lone wolf) he was making progress. The candlelight played across his face accentuating his already disproportionate features. He had large brows and a bald head but he was a man of several faces. A chameleon. Agent Seven - Nine was wearing an ebony silk gown with a large gold collar that jutted out over his shoulders. The gold gleamed in the candlelight like some exotic treasure. Never had he been so close to success! For a long time, he had pursued the Thunderbirds in vain, longing to own them and to be part of their secrets so he could use them for his own nefarious designs. It was futile! They were too well equipped and evaded his plans with ease. He had tried photographing them, luring them out to rescues to steal the craft. He had even tried forcing his half-brother to betray them, all to no avail! He stood vexed and strode into the cavernous chamber where his brother's statue stood. His footsteps echoed to a halt. He had taken them apart piece by piece this time, targeting them directly. The last exercise had gone almost to perfection save losing the submersible. 'So, I couldn't have your machines or your technology but I will have your reputation international rescue, I can promise you that!' His manic laughter filled the temple. 'When I am through with you, no one will want your help ever again. I will turn you all to ashes and my own creation will arise in its place!'

\------------------------------------------------------------

Virgil hated it here. It wasn't the family's fault; from what he could see they were an incredibly friendly and welcoming bunch of people but that's all they were. He was connected to them by blood but that was all. Any affection or relationship he had with his family had been lost in the accident and all that was left was a constant keening pain to remember what he had lost, not what he could have.

He stared at the blank page in front of him; he was supposed to keep a journal of his memories. He had been 'home' for a week now and they had been fleeting, flickering at his mind like flames only to be extinguished in a heartbeat. It was just so frustrating! He slammed the pen down in frustration and slumped in his chair. He listened to the gulls and the ocean crashing onto the shore below. His room overlooked the back of the island away from the pool and plaza. He took in the green of the palm trees and the yellow of the sand on the shore below. It was peaceful here he reflected, if he were just on holiday he could appreciate its beauty.

He looked around what he was told was his room. It was very minimalist with sparse furnishings but the walls were covered in art. He stood up suddenly drawn to the painting above the chest of drawers. It had a juvenile quality to it, some of the features were not quite in proportion but it was still a lovely piece. It depicted a sunset over a farmstead, the sun a blazing glory of warm autumn tones washing over the fields in the foreground of the image. The brushstrokes for each individual blade of wheat could be seen and Virgil could almost imagine the soft sway of wheat in the breeze. An image started to form from the back of his mind. Slowly at first it came creeping forward. He closed his eyes to focus, what could he see? A canvas half complete. He felt the breeze on his face as he added the brush strokes to the wheat, he dipped his paintbrush back on the palette and noticed how bronzed his arm was. He continued to work as the sun slipped away around him in pure tranquility, submerged in his task until he heard a shout. He looked up startled, when had it started to get dark? There was a slight chill to the crisp autumn air, the last few leaves starting to drop from the tree on the perimeter of the field. He noticed a young brunette teen working his way through the waist high crop.

'Hey Virg! Are you coming home tonight? Dad's back remember?'

'Dad's home!' Virgil exclaimed - excitement welled up in him. The other lad was breathless from running and hunched over his knees to catch his breath. Virgil startled when the boy looked up. It was Scott! A much younger Scott - perhaps sixteen? Virgil took in his flushed face with those bright blue eyes and distinctive cheekbones. He still had a boyish quality here that had since been lost and replaced with a sterner sometimes world-weary expression but it was still his Scott, his brother. With that realisation the memory began to fade, Vigil panicked, willing his mind to claw and grab on but the memory as it faded into darkness. He quickly ran back to the desk and picked up the journal and the pencils he had found in the drawer and set to work.

Sometime later there was a knock on his door. Scott entered with a tray of food, Virgil had yet to come and dine with them since coming home. He had tried the first night out of courtesy but it was so awkward he had promptly made his excuses and left. They had been taken it in turns to bring his meals to him, today it was Scott.

'Come in'.

'Hey, thought you might be hungry and I was passing this way.' Scott set the tray down on the coffee table near the TV.

'Thanks'.

'Are you drawing?' Scott noticed the pencils scattered across the desk. He tried not to get too excited by the prospect. Virgil had barely said or done anything since coming home. He had completely withdrawn into himself and who could blame him when everything he had loved and been passionate about had been wiped like a clean slate from his mind?

'Yeah, I realised that when Gordon said I was the creative one that some of these paintings in here might be mine.' Virgil stood and pointed to the one he had admired earlier. 'Did I paint this?'

'Yes' Scott sat down on Virgil's bed. 'I remember I came across you just as you were finishing it. You were fourteen when you painted that, you have such a talent'.

Virgil smiled at Scott but inside he was full of elation. Scott had confirmed it! He had remembered it wasn't a dream or wishful thinking it had been an actual memory. Small and fleeting but there! He dared to hope it was the beginning of something more.

'Something you want to spill?'

'Huh?' Vigil looked puzzled.

'That thing you do when your eyes light up and you look like your about to burst usually means you have something you want to say' Scott smiled.

Virgil sat down at the desk immediately increasing the distance between him and Scott. He was conflicted. On the one hand he wanted to shout for joy and grab Scott in his excitement but the other part was telling him that he didn't want to get their hopes up when he couldn't guarantee he could remember anything else. He shouldn't reveal he had remembered just yet.

'It's ok I won't push you to tell me, I just remember that what you used to be like when you were young'. Scott was scared that that glimmer of the old Virgil would shrink away into itself again.

'What was I like when I was young?' Virgil Gazed at Scott intently.

This was interesting that he was showing an interest in his past. Scott dared to hope it was the beginning of something more. 'Very much like you are now, naturally in tune with people's emotions, you have an uncanny ability to read people and you had a lot of compassion for all living things. I remember you ran into my room when you were seven with a young crow that had fallen out of a nest. You wouldn't leave me alone until I made a makeshift splint for its wing! Grandpa would have gone mad if he found out you had nurtured it back to health he'd been trying to chase them off the crops all summer!' Scott laughed fondly at the memory. 'I helped you release it at four AM before anyone knew you had nursed it back to health. Virgil smiled. 'I knew I liked animals. We haven't always lived here then?

'No we're from Kansas. We grew up on our grandparent's farm that dad was meant to inherit before he became an astronaut and entrepreneur. We moved when I was 17.' Scott didn't mention after their mother's death, he couldn't bear to be the one to tell Virgil again. It was too painful.

Virgil looked at the image in his journal, only a year after this then. He made up his mind. If he was going to get better he needed to be honest. Looking at the obvious hurt on Scott's face he wanted to help him. He gently picked up the journal and crossed the room. 'If I show you something can you promise to keep it to yourself for now? I don't think I could cope with the pressure if everyone knew'. He looked at the floor and back at Scott. 'Sure' it was a confident and straightforward answer, one that Virgil knew he would adhere to. Virgil silently handed Scott the book. It took his breath away, he looked at Virgil in amazement. 'You remembered something didn't you? This is… This is me!'

Virgil nodded. 'I was looking at the picture there and it came back to me, a very small fragment. All I remember is you saying dad was home. I'd stayed out late painting.'

Scott traced the picture with his hand. It was a perfect likeness of him at sixteen.

'Yeah dad had been on a mission in space and was returning home, it was the first one he had been on that you were old enough to understand he was gone and not just to another state or country – actual space. You were so scared that he wouldn't come home'.

Virgil sat a little overwhelmed with the amount of information he had learned in such a small amount of time. Scott could see he was tired from the memory and didn't want to push him for fear of losing the little bit of Virgil that had come back.

'I'll let you eat your tea before it goes cold'. Scott stood to leave, Virgil quickly grabbed his arm. 'Thanks Scott.'

'What for?'

'For not pushing me and answering my questions, I know it must be hard for you'. He released his grip on Scott as quickly as he had grabbed him.

'Anytime Virg, you're my brother and I will always be here for you, we've got time'.

Virgil smiled as he left. He had a brother, one that loved him unconditionally. Maybe he didn't have to feel alone.


	9. Chapter 9

Lady Penelope watched through the binoculars in the comfort of the back seat of her car. Parker was talking to a gentleman in the alleyway opposite; she could hear every word through her ear piece and was deciphering the information intently. Rose was in the passenger seat filming the meet for evidence.

'Hey Parker! It's great to see you again mate.' The tall man held out a hand which Parker shook firmly.

'D'you have what I asked for?' Parker glanced up and down the alley.

'I do but I thought you went straight years ago after you got out?' The man eyed Parker suspiciously. They were old acquaintances from back in the day and he owed Parker his life, he wouldn't be here otherwise. No one should trust someone that's gone clean. 'Nah! You know me mate, I could never stay away – I like to dabble too much'. He eyed Parker again 'Although if you're not interested...' Parker made to walk off.

'Hey wait! I'm just messin! I had to be sure yeh know?' Parker nodded. Attention was now drawn to the duffel bag that Parker had on him. He flashed the tall man a look in the bag. The man tried to grab the bag.

'Ah! I want a name' Parker whispered. The guy's dark eyes roved up and down the alley, he was visibly wary.

'He's called Jonah Lee and that's his real name I swear'.

'Twenty more, if you give me an address'. The brown eyes widened in shock.

'You promise my name won't be mentioned.'

'You hav' my word.'

'Good. 110 Newman Street, East London. Why do you want to know so bad anyway?' he stubbed out his cigarette with his foot.

'I got a job that requires his services and it's urgent. Ere take the bag'. The man's hands trembled as he took it. The things he could do with this, he tipped his hat towards Parker before retreating back down the alley. Parker waited a few minutes before exiting onto the high street and walking in a southerly direction. A car shortly slipped alongside him and he hopped in the front. It pulled off quickly and smoothly quickly becoming lost in the traffic.

'Well done Parker.'

'Thank you milady, what's next?'

'We go to the address'. Penelope was reapplying mascara as she spoke, fluttering her eyes in the compact mirror.

'I think the police might be a better idea, they can put surveillance on the address to ensure the information is valid.' Rose knew how dangerous this guy was. He had shot her after all.

'Relax Rose, we are just doing our own bit of surveillance, we need more evidence for a concrete prosecution.' Penny reclined further into her seat.

'Fine but any sign of danger. I will call for back up.' Rose tapped her hand on the arm of the door in agitation and worry. Parker kept his eyes firmly on the road, he could sense the tension in the air between the two women and he was not getting involved, it wasn't his place - and happily he might add.

Rose kept her eyes on the road for hazards and kept checking the mirrors for danger from behind. She had been with Lady Penelope and Parker since her condition had stabilised. All she knew was that these two were agents for international rescue and they wanted her protected until the shooter was found for her own safety but she also knew that she was their only key witness which is probably why they were keeping her close. She was with them for two reasons, the main being that she wanted to catch the son of a bitch who shot her (She wouldn't sleep peacefully until she did) and two she was intrigued about this mysterious rescue organisation and how they had been targeted. She knew there had been another incident as she had heard Penelope respond to a call but Parker had ushered her out of the room before she could gather more information but it had sounded serious and the hunt for the marksman had intensified over the coming days. Rose had been staying with the Lady and her manservant at their stately home in Kent which had been more pleasant then anywhere she had ever stayed. She was also glad to be out of the hospital, she hated the place. Rose was broken from her trail of thoughts by the sharp pain in her upper chest, she adjusted the seat belt so that it sat underneath, instead of over her shoulder. The external wounds had knitted together nicely but the scar tissue was relatively new and tender. She was still several weeks off fully healing and had just started some gentle physio. She was still on painkillers three times a day and trying to wean herself to twice a day with limited success.

They pulled up several blocks away from the address. Rose gently undid her belt and flipped her hair over her shoulder with her good arm. Lady Penelope's car was not exactly inconspicuous seeing as it was a hot pink Rolls Royce. Thankfully the lady herself had at least dressed more conservatively today.

They all filed out onto the street and headed to the address. Parker went on ahead to scout it out whilst Rose and Penelope held onto each other Laughing and chatting and walked along the outskirts of the park directly opposite the address. Newman Street was not an run down part of London nor was it a high caliber end of town. It was simply a normal working-class street like hundreds of others with a few large chain stores and an express supermarket. 110 was the bottom flat of an old townhouse with simple iron railings surrounding the front. The girls sat on a bench and pretended to be absorbed in talking and taking selfies (with the house behind them) whilst Parker ran up to the door with a parcel in his hand and knocked. Parker watched the curtains flutter whilst he stood on the doorstep nervously. The door opened a crack. 'Good day sir, a Package for you. I need you to sign ere' Parker indicated to the tablet and stylus in his hand. He could see the gleam of a blue eye and smell the smoke on the man's breath behind the door. 'I didn't order anything you must have the wrong address.'

'I believe its right sir; it's simply addressed to the occupier.'

'Very well' Parker stepped back and down a step as the man appeared fully from the doorway. He had short cropped brunette hair and couldn't have been more than thirty-five to forty years old. He was tall (around six foot two) and of a slim build but well built. You could see the muscle tone through the tight long sleeved black shirt he was wearing. He signed the tablet in haste and grabbed the bulky parcel.

'Good day Sir.' Parker called as the door was slammed in his face.

He turned and swiftly bounced down the steps walking back down the road. A few minutes later the girls finished their chat and said their goodbyes making off in opposite directions.

\----------------------------------------------------------

International Rescue had been out of business for a week. None of the boys had seen their Dad since dinnertime. He has been busy corresponding with the agents across the globe that were trying to make it safe for IR again, that and avoiding his angry sons. Gordon was silently frustrated whereas Scott and Alan were obviously riled and angry that they were just sitting around and doing nothing. They wanted to be finding the people behind this so they could be operational again not sitting around because their Father didn't want them in danger. People still needed rescuing and that's what mattered. Sure, what happened to Virgil was a tragedy, Scott had argued with their father but they knew the risks of the job and it was ultimately their decision to risk their lives to save others. They did it everyday, this threat was no different. In the end Jeff couldn't take the quip remarks and the attitude and told Scott to take Alan into space and switch with John as he was due to come down anyway. Jeff would rather cope with a grounded John than an angry Alan and Scott any day. The two could be terrible to manage in this mood together. It was also a solution to stop John obsessing over Intel and Jeff could try and get him to rest. He hadn't liked the way his eldest blonde son looked at all the other night. He hadn't told John they were coming or he would have refused to come back. Jeff was tired himself but his son's safety and the organisation was his priority (Despite the boy's opinions) and he would sort it, if they just gave him the chance. Couldn't they understand how scared he was of losing them? There had been two many close calls of late for him to ignore.

Once he had heard Thunderbird three launch he exited his office for a breather. He could venture out now he wouldn't be accosted by his eldest and youngest. Gordon was sat in the lounge and Virgil was sat curled up on the end sofa drawing. The last couple of days he had been venturing out of his room for longer periods of time and it warmed Jeff to see him more content than he had been since arriving home. Jeff had decided not to hide anything from his son and that included IR business. There had been the worry that Virgil would accidentally tell someone but Jeff was willing to take the risk, he wanted to prove to Virgil that they would completely honest with him in the hopes that Virgil would be with them too.

Jeff was drawn to the news bulletin which Gordon was watching intently. There was a male anchor man talking to two other people. One was from a well-known media group the other was a representative from the Global Defense Force. They were discussing a topic that filled Jeff with a sense of dread. 'There have been calls of outrage from the public since International Rescue announced it was ceasing operations in light of the sabotage attacks they have experienced recently. We are joined by Kate Walsh from twitter HQ to gain more on this situation. So, Kate what's the public's opinion?'

'Well several thousand people have taken to twitter and other social media outlets to acknowledge their outrage that someone would attack this organisation that has helped so many. A majority of people however are expressing their disappointment and concern that IR has abandoned their cause. Tom Bradbury for example works for Oxfam, he wrote; 'I work as a medic for Oxfam in some of the world's most dangerous and politically unstable nations to care for the innocent in need. I would not rest until I have aided and helped those in need, even when my life has been threatened.' 'A lot of people are expressing similar comments and some families have even posted about loved ones that they feel could have been saved by IR this week but have instead died, despite the pleas for help.'

'Thank you, Kate, over to Colonel James Masters. Do you think that IR has the right to stop operations? They are a notoriously private and elusive organisation how can you guarantee that they are working in the best interests of the public?'

'Well Ben, I think what we need to remember first and foremost is that IR are not a registered search and rescue service, they're not emergency services or even military based; they are simply a private organisation that have consistently tried to do good in the world for some time now. They have as much right to protect their own safety as anyone does; it isn't their duty or mission to be in the line of fire. I think it is unfair to ask them to do so. In their absence the GDF has been working with emergency services to aid them as much as we can by providing additional resources. We are also working incredibly hard to try and find the perpetrators and bring them to justice swiftly so that IR may resume operating.'

'Did we pay him? He's good.' Gordon cut in not turning to face his father. Jeff sighed. This was just what they needed bad PR and the GDF coming to their defense, he was sure to pay for it later. They were always on his case about wanting access to IR's technology and this would give them the fuel they needed. It was just a matter of time. They were being civil for now. 'Dad maybe the whole secrecy thing needs to be reviewed, I mean at times like these we could really do with a spokesperson.'

'Maybe' Jeff said gruffly, he supposed a spokesperson couldn't hurt but it would need to be someone they trusted and who wouldn't be directly affiliated with the Tracy's or Tracy industries.

'Why don't you just set up a website with an anonymous live Q and A?' Virgil added to the conversation not looking up from his drawing. Jeff was taken aback by his son's sudden and flippant answer. It wasn't actually a bad idea. 'That's a very good idea Virgil I think I might just look into it.'

'I'm sure Brains would know how to make it secure from what I've heard about him'. Virgil had met him once before getting on the plane here and briefly since he had been home. Jeff had an idea of his own, a way to gently bring his son back into the business and hopefully feel more like part of the family.

'How would you like to work with him on it S.. I mean Virgil?' He had almost said son and corrected himself at last moment he could tell the familiarity of the word made Virgil uncomfortable at present. Gordon turned to look at his father in surprise and then back at his brother to see if he would agree. His father had never wanted a website he didn't think it was viable or a good use of their resources before. He had also been worried about the security threat. So far all involvement in the business and family Virgil had shunned, Gordon was interested to hear his answer.

'I guess, if that's what you would like.' Virgil's face remained motionless as he continued to draw.

'Great I will arrange for Brains to find you later for a chat and you can run him through your idea'.

With that Jeff ruffled Gordon's hair and headed back to the office. He smiled to himself happily, he felt better than he had done in days. His son was starting to come back to life and that was the greatest gift he could ask for under the circumstances. Everything else no matter how daunting paled in comparison. They would come through this, he was sure. He flipped the monitor up on his desk and called Penny.


	10. Chapter 10

'I'm not coming with you, end of discussion.' John growled. He kept his eyes forward on the screen.

'John, I didn't come all the way up here to go home without you. You're already two months overdue to return to earth, you're at your limit'. Scott tried to reason. John looked awful! Dark circles under his eyes stood out in stark contrast against his paper white skin, his usual platinum blonde hair hung in a greasy mess obscuring one side of his face. His fingers were tapping at his knee in an agitated manner as he sat staring at the screen in front of him. He hadn't even stood to greet his brothers on arrival he was so fixated. Scott could smell stale coffee in the air from the mugs piled high on the desk. He had to get him out of here, John was in one of his classic workaholic episodes and they all knew how they could pan out. He still hadn't had an answer from John.

'John! Snap out of it will you! I'm trying to talk to you for a minute!' It was hard to keep his temper in check. John needed to listen to him for the sake of his own welfare.

John turned to face Scott fully, his usual charming smile replaced by an angry poker face. 'Scott, I can't leave now; I'm too close'.

'Close to what?' Alan and Scott chorused. Alan had been doing a mental stock take in the background; it was good they had brought extra supplies John was living on nothing up here. Come to think of it Alan was convinced his brother had lost weight.

John tapped a few items on the screen bringing up an electronic map with a spider web of green lines. 'I have taken information from our rescue logs, agents, FBI, MI5 -you name it and been searching for links and evidence. I have found enough information to gather that both American and British intelligence services have raised their threat levels to red alert over an impending terrorist attack, for the first time in five years. We have been in action for five years now and initially we helped in several suspect terrorist attacks. We've defused bombs on fire flash, averted nuclear disasters – even the Allerton bridge disaster was never cleared of suspected terrorist involvement. You even got taken down by unidentified fighter jets that still, to this day there have been no records or evidence of. Over that first year there was a reduction in terror related crimes of twenty percent, this year terror related incidents have been at an all-time low with a reduction of forty four percent.' John paused he could tell his brothers were still doubtful. 'I know our primary function was not to stop terrorist attacks but you've got to admit not only are we good at rescuing people we are good at adverting disasters and this may have discouraged some acts of terrorism. Someone has made a lot of effort to take us out and I can't help but think this is the cause but I need solid proof. It's more than coincidence, if I could just trace this transmission….' John returned to the screen. Scott leaned on the back of John's chair as Alan stepped closer. 'Can you play the transmission?' Scott wanted to hear this. John tapped a button on the screen. The message came across broken and distorted in places. Two male voices could be clearly heard.

' _You lost the submarine though?'_

'Hey there talking about four!' Alan interrupted. 'Ssshh' John glared at him.

' _Yes that was….unfortunate. It won't happen again'._

' _It better not, you have failed me before'._

Static ….

' _I am confident that we will succeed. We have failed to take their technology by force but by turning the public against international rescue we will still prevail!'_

' _We will be proceeding with operation shadow hawk at twenty three hundred hours local time.'_

' _Excellent, I await your report Agent .._ more static.. _Over and out'._

'Local time? John this attack is imminent!' Scott exclaimed in shock.

'I know, I've already passed it to the authorities around the world in the hopes we can trace this but to also to warn people to prepare for a catastrophe.' John continued trying to track the intermission backwards, it was bouncing everywhere! John smacked the desk in frustration he just lost it again! He marked a point on the map ready to try again.

'Why haven't you told dad?'

'I've kinda been busy Alan' John muttered under his breath. He swore as he lost the trace. Scott spun him around and Alan seriously thought he was going to get punched. Scott crouched in front of John with a pleading gaze. 'Look I know you're desperate to solve this but you're probably not functioning to your highest capacity because you're exhausted. If you promise me you will sleep even just for an hour we will stay and take you back after you've solved it ok?' John thought about it, now he had looked away from the screen he realised how blurry his vision was, he could barely make out Alan's facial features even at this short distance. His throat was tight and dry too. Scott must have noticed him swallow awkwardly as he handed him some water. He took a sip, it must have been the first time he had drank anything in the last twenty-four hours. He wasn't going to tell his brothers that he hadn't been to bed in forty-eight hours. He couldn't argue anymore he was tired, his eyes started to flutter.

'Alan go and open the doors for me'. He nodded and left, Scott gently scooped John up who was now fully relaxed in his arms, eyes closed. Scott carried him through the corridors of five to the sleeping quarters, Alan helping grab John's legs on the last leg when he started to become too heavy for Scott. They laid him down gently, Scott took off his boots and Alan gently drew a blanket over him. They turned the light down and exited quietly apart from the slight whoosh of the door as it slipped into place.

They headed back to the control room. 'You've got no intention of waking him, have you?'

'Nope. Your just as good at tracing as John, fancy a go?'

'Scott if I get it wrong he will kill me.' Alan looked serious.

'Alan don't be so dramatic, I'll take the fall out, alright?' Scott winked at Alan. 'It's that or you can update dad.'

'Sold!' Alan sat down in John's still warm seat and began to work. Scott called his father. This was a disaster waiting to happen, he had to convince his Dad to let them back into the field it might be the best distraction tactic they had. If they couldn't find out who the culprit was in time they could use the Thunderbirds as a distraction to buy time, this guy wanted the machines more than anything. Scott could tell from the pure resentment in the man's tone on the message.

'Thunderbird 5 to base'

'Good to hear from you son, I was starting to think you got lost'. He smiled.

'Dad, we have a situation.' Scott looked grave.

'Is John..'

'John is suffering from exhaustion but he will be ok I think he's resting now. He's been working really hard and is close to a breakthrough.' Scott kept it brief his Dad didn't need to worry how close John had been to collapsing up here on his own.

'You make sure he comes home, I don't care how close he is. Alan is more than capable.' Jeff frowned in concern.

'Don't worry, I have no intention of leaving him here. John has found a worrying correlation….' Scott explained everything that John had been so painstakingly working on and played his father the message. Jeff's face registered with shock at the mention of the submarine and then the impending attack. 'Father there are going to be casualties and people that need our help. You have to let us go back in the field.'

'Scott I'm not sure this is our remit...'

'Dad if you don't let me help I'll join active service again'. Scott was referring to his days as a captain in the air force. He wore a look of resolute determination. There was a gasp from behind Scott as Alan overheard their conversation. Scott ignored him.

'You really feel that way?'

'I do, I left the air force to help people if I can't do that then what's the point? I'm not forcing Gordon or Alan to join me but this is something I feel I have to do. Our family's been hurt too much recently but imagine if we could save other families from this pain.' Jeff sat in silence for a few minutes and absorbed what his eldest was saying; he really was so proud of Scott; of all of them.

'Ok return to base and await orders, Alan needs to continue searching to trace the location of that message, I will see if there is anything Brains can do from this end.'

Jeff was about to cut the link – 'Dad?'

'Yes son.'

'John's going to be pretty angry, I promised I'd let him sleep for an hour and wake him up'.

'Don't worry we'll both try and pacify him when you get back, just don't wake him'.

'F.A.B'

'Are you going to be alright Alan? Promise me you won't get into that state'.

'I promise, you better get going I don't think we have much time.'

'If you need to talk you call me.' Alan stood to pull Scott into a tight embrace.

'Will you let me know how John is and if Virgil improves?'

'Sure thing, see you soon kiddo.'

With that Scott walked out and gently picked John up, he moaned in his sleep and turned his head to rest on Scott's chest. He panicked for a moment worried that he had woken the lion. Luckily John sighed and tucked in closer to Scott 'Whew'. Scott headed through the airlock to Thunderbird 3.


	11. Chapter 11

Over the last 24 hours Rose, Penelope and Parker had gathered enough Intel to warrant an arrest; the arrest of Jonah Lee. It was 11.30 am.

They had received Intel from Jeff Tracy that a terrorist attack was imminent. Both he and Lady Penelope were convinced that London was the Target as the capital; it also couldn't be a coincidence that Jonah was here. He had been working for this mysterious Agent Seven-Nine from the beginning. Rose had decided that they needed to intervene right away. She reached out to her contacts and now there was a fast response police unit on route along with the terror unit. Parker pulled up a few cars away from the black Land rover that they had been following.

Penelope was shifting uncomfortably in the back seat. 'Dear! This is most uncomfortable'.

'It won't be so uncomfortable when it saves your life, if you are insisting on being at the front of this pursuit then you will wear it, I need to know your safe'. Rose grabbed her cuffs and stuffed them on her belt in a hurry.

'Ah; I suppose so' Penelope sighed. 'Parker wait here until we return and be prepared to follow by car should the criminal make a quick getaway'.

'Yes milady'.

Jonah and another dark-haired man stepped out of the Land rover. Both were wearing grey duffel bags slung over their shoulders. They walked with swift purpose, cutting tracks through the crowds on busy Oxford Street. 'Which one do you want Darling?'

'Jonah is not leaving my sight.' Rose started after him intently. 'Very well I'll take the other- maintain contact at all times.' Penelope was referring to the small mic that they both wore on their coat lapels. 'F.A.B' replied Rose, she had no idea what it meant but had heard Penny use it to sign off a few times now. Penny smiled. Both women quickly broke off and slipped into the crowd behind their targets.

Rose watched his head bob up and down over the crowds as he slunk off down a back alley behind the shopping centre. She followed at a distance, hands on the gun that Penelope had supplied ready in the folds of her coat. She quickly ducked behind some bins as he flipped a quick look over his shoulders before heading through a back door. Rose quickly ran up and tried the handle; it was locked. She swore to herself before quickly dropping to one knee to pick the lock, something she had quickly learned off Parker - she hadn't been idle in her recuperation. She heard the satisfying click as the lock turned back. She opened the door and scanned the area before advancing down a dark corridor. It appeared to be a stockroom for one of the shops in the centre. She ran swiftly across the darkened room to the door that she could see ajar. She blinked as the bright light of the shopping centre hit her unaccustomed eyes. She looked left and right along the corridor but all she could see was swarms of shoppers. She was consumed with panic as she heard children laughing, it echoing in her ears. People were going to die unless they did something. She ran to the banisters on the top floor and scanned the crowd below. Classy store fronts and red sale signs flashed past her peripheral vision. 'Penny I've lost him!' She kept honing in on several men that caught her attention but it wasn't him!

'Fire exit to your left, both men are heading to the roof, I've still got eyes on.'

Rose flew along the hall, her boots squeaking and slamming across the marbled floor as she did so. Several people watched her go in shock and surprise. She crashed into one woman who lost her shopping everywhere. 'Sorry' she shouted as she pushed on the fire exit door. The Alarm had been severed, she noticed as she headed up the staircase and out onto the roof. She saw Penny hiding behind a service hatch and slunk up next to her. Her cheeks were flushed against the cold air from the exertion but Penny barely looked out of place from just finishing a photo shoot in her blue parka with her head scarf and pristine ponytail. 'Just over there, they appear to be ready to detonate a charge.'

'Where are the units?'

'Main efforts are focused on evacuating this area just in case; the snipers are just getting into position.' Just as Penelope finished Jonah was shouting to his partner and scanning the rooftops. He hastily started grabbing the case at his feet and made a run for it. 'Damn it! He's spotted them!' Rose started running. 'Rose no!' Penelope hissed but it was no good. Penelope shook her head and ran after her.

Rose knew she had the element of surprise. Jonah hadn't anticipated having to deal with snipers let alone someone from behind him, this was her window of opportunity to jump him and his partner, otherwise they would get away. There was every chance she could be shot by snipers but she had done her best to radio her intentions. She closed the gap quickly and launched herself at Jonah's back. He dropped his bag and grabbed her arms around his neck as she sunk the taser into his back. He knocked it from her hand before she could use it. It skittered to the edge of the roof. Rose maintained her grip as he yelled in fury. Meanwhile Penelope was already in hand to hand combat with the other guy and had just delivered a powerful kick to his chest which sent him reeling backwards into the wall at the end. His Gun was lost over the edge, the case open behind Penelope. She backed up and waited for the next assault.

Rose was sent rolling across the floor as Jonah threw her down and grabbed her by the throat. She pressed into the sockets of his eyes with her thumbs; he screamed in pain and hit her in her old wound site. She felt the skin tear and could hear her own scream of pain in unison. He continued to press into it with his knee and choke her with his hands. Her eyes started to water and redden. 'Hurts does it? I thought I recognised you. You're that interfering bitch that screwed up my shot!' Rose managed to grab the gun from her side and bring it up to his thigh; she was seeing black spots on her eyes as she mustered the strength to pull the trigger. He yelled as the bullet ripped through his leg. Jonah rolled off her grabbing at his leg as she gulped in lungful after lungful of cold crisp air. Penelope appeared above her head. She had a thin cut that ran the length of her cheek, like a knife had slashed it. 'Don't move either of you or I shoot'.

Rose had gathered enough strength to pick herself up and slap the cuffs on Jonah, by then the armed unit had arrived and carted him off as he screamed obscenities at her over his shoulder. She collapsed where she stood, Penelope just having time to catch her and lower her against the wall. Paramedics came to attend to her. 'No, no what about the bombs?' her voice only came out as a whisper after the strangling she had received so she tried to rip the blanket off to make a point. 'It's ok; the bomb disposal unit have located and destroyed them.' Satisfied she allowed herself to be dragged off with Penelope following behind her.


	12. Chapter 12

Gordon and Tin-tin had taken to the air as soon as they had clearance from Jeff. Scott assured them he would catch up, he was just landing TB3 now. Gordon took the lift with Tin-Tin down to the silo he couldn't bring himself to use the chute from the lounge, it felt like he was replacing Virgil if he used it. They got settled in the cockpit and taxied out onto the runway. Scott must have been running as Gordon watched him launch in TB1 above. 'Ready for take-off in 5-4-3-2-1'

'Thunderbirds are go!' Gordon chimed cutting his dad off.

'Careful out there, son'.

'Will do dad; see you soon'.

Jeff swung round in his chair; he hoped his boys would be safe. He was surprised to see Virgil on the other side. 'Are you alright Virgil?'

'Yes…father (The word still felt a little alien). I was just wondering if there was any therapy or ways to trigger my memory quicker, I…I want to help, like I did before.'

Virgil looked away towards the floor; Jeff could tell it had taken him a lot of courage to ask. 'Son; I can get you access to the best Psychiatrists and doctors in the world, if that's what you want.' Virgil nodded. 'Very well after all of this we will have a look together at some options.' Virgil was now looking past Jeff's shoulder at the TV on the cabinet that their father sometimes watched the high-profile rescues on. 'Look!'

Jeff spun around to see that the TV news broadcast had become distorted; a shadowy figure appeared in a dimly lit room. 'Right now, history is unfolding as the largest terrorist attack in five years has hit America.' Images of people fleeing and screaming played as the voice continued to speak. 'There are not many organisations that could deal with this kind of attack except international rescue. International Rescue is always there to serve and protect – but where are they now? Hiding like the cowards they are in your time of need. How can we trust them when they never reveal their identity, how do we know they don't orchestrate these attacks themselves to gain recognition? 'That's preposterous!' Jeff shouted at the TV. He had already called Alan. 'Alan can you trace this transmission?' Jeff frowned at the shadowed figure on the TV as it cut back to the normal news. 'No, the transmission wasn't long enough but it was broadcasted over 450 channels across the globe.'

'I'm going to contact the GDF they need to find these men, this organisation and stop them!' Jeff cut the link with Alan and began to sift through his contacts.

'This is TB1 to Base, do you receive me?'

'Base to TB1, go ahead'

'I'm coming in to land now dad but my filming warning alarm is going crazy!'

'You'll have to get those reporters under control Scott.'

Virgil cut in 'Do we always have a no filming policy?'

'Yes; it helps to protect our identity'.

'I think in this instance you may want to consider allowing them to film the rescue.'

'Why?'

'Well a stranger has just run your reputation through the mud to try and turn the public against you and used the fact that you protect your identity to tarnish the organisation. I think in this instance you need to show some face to create unity – so to speak.'

'Base what do you want me to do? I need to land.'

Jeff mulled it over, maybe Virgil was right they needed to show themselves at least partially to try and repair the damage of being un-operational for so long. People could do terrible things through being hurt, the public after this was likely to doubt and even blame international rescue for this incident.

'Scott let them film you and Thunderbird two, use the speaker to warn them to blur your faces or they will face prosecution.'

'Yes, sir'.

'God this is a mess!' Jeff leant on his elbows on the desk and looked down. Surprisingly he felt a hand on his shoulder. 'Dad, I know it's hard but don't feel responsible for this. Now I effectively have an outsider's perspective, I see how much you give up time and time again helping others. You're a wealthy man but instead of wasting your wealth you use most of your capital to run and invest in this organisation and that's something to be proud of. You do more than most governments and other global organisations to protect people so don't beat yourself up. I'm proud to be able to call you my father.' Virgil looked earnestly at Jeff.

Jeff tried not to well up; Virgil's words and complete faith overwhelmed him. He literally couldn't express how he was feeling in words so he simply said 'Thank you son, you don't know how much that means to me'.

'That's ok, I'm going to check on John. I think it's about time I met him properly.'

'He might not be in the best mood..'

'I know, I'm the distraction he needs right now'.

Jeff smiled.

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Gordon ears were assaulted by sirens, shouting and hysterical screaming as he descended into chaos from TB2. Tin-tin was not far behind him and was trying not to gag at the acrid smoke as it overwhelmed her temporarily. They had landed near a 'safe zone' but nowhere was safe here. People ran past him; others wandered past in a state of shock with blood pouring down their faces, some to his horror had limbs missing. Gordon didn't even know where to begin - how on earth could three people help to make a difference to this nightmare? Thankfully Gordon was pulled away from the feeling of impending panic as his older brother raced towards him.

Scott jogged to a halt. 'Right. I have just spoken to the fire and police services the biggest priority they have right now is the google offices located just here.' Scott pointed to the coordinates on the map on his watch. 'They estimate that there are still at least 90 people trapped in there and the building is on fire trapping most of these people upstairs however scans have also picked up life in the lower basement. Our Job is to use the specialist fire kit to evacuate these people before the building collapses. Gordon, I want you to operate firefly and start trying to manage the fire with the fire department, Tin-tin and I will work together to evacuate the people inside'.

'F.A.B' they both chorused. They started to run back to two.

'Scott how will we evacuate these people?'

'Well Tin-tin, I'd rather not have to go in the building for all the civilians as they are trapped up at the higher levels due to fire and debris. So, I have requested that the fire chief uses the speakers to order the civilians to the roof where I can collect them in two. You will need to go down in the elevator and manage the evacuees to ensure that they remain calm and don't overload the elevator. Can you do that?' By now both of them had reached the cockpit and firefly was out of the pod.

'Yes Scott I will go and harness up now'. She already had the harness in her hand.

'There's a girl! I'll radio when we are in position.' Scott slipped into the cockpit. He had piloted two before but he did not have Virgil's extensive knowledge of the craft or his finesse in holding her steady. He would just have to do his best.

Gordon was surprised at the ferocity of the flames and the searing heat which was making him feel like firefly had no fire insulating properties at all! Phew! It was hot and he was sweating buckets already as he began to push tonnes of debris away from the building so he could work on creating a path through the fire to reach the people in the basement. He just hoped that they wouldn't suffocate or burn before he got there. Just then a massive chunk of the buildings external wall plummeted downwards. 'Oh boy!' Gordon slammed Firefly into reverse but he was still going to get hit! He raised the shovel above the cab to protect himself as the large chunk of wall shattered and landed all around him. Mighty thuds could be heard as concrete impacted metal with enough force to throw Gordon backwards in the cockpit. His back ricocheted into the recline of the the seat and he was jarred to the core. It took him a moment to recover, groaning as he did so. 'Come in Gordon, are you ok?' Scott's best professional but tense voice echoed across the controls. Nothing. 'GORDON! Will you respond!' Silence and then…. 'Alright! Keep your hair on, I'm battered but alive. I am going to bruise like a peach!' Gordon heard an audible sigh from Scott. 'Good, what's Firefly's damage?' Gordon winced in pain as he surveyed the console. 'Well it's just alarms and warning lights in here, I'm operating but there are no defenses left. If I take another hit like that well, let's just say I might not be walking out of here.'

'Ok; then you need to retreat.'

'No there are people in that basement and I'm going to help them.'

'Well I'll bring the mole and you can drill in'.

'I can't Scott you know that the foundations are weak, it's not structurally sound enough.

'Ok, just please be careful. I'm already one brother down, I couldn't cope with another'. There was a light pleading in Scott's voice. He never referred to them as siblings on a rescue out of professionalism; Gordon knew Scott had still been blaming himself over Virgil. This confirmed it. He would mention it to dad later.

'Scott, I will be fine – Lighten up!' Gordon tried to inject more positivity then he felt. He started to inch forwards to the building again.

Tin-Tin was on the roof; her hair being whipped back in its ponytail as she tried to assemble some order. Everyone was trying to push past her onto the evaluator but she wasn't opening the doors until they listened. She was finding it hard to make herself heard across the wind, people shouting and arguing and the sirens below. 'Please will you listen to me? I need you to remain calm' – A large man shouted at her. 'Stop telling us to be calm and let us on, this building ain't gonna last much longer lady and I want to get outta here. Scott heard the commotion through her comms and turned on the microphone. 'This is international rescue. You will all be rescued but first you need to listen to my colleague and follow her instruction or you won't be leaving here. Now calm down and listen up!' Scott tried to conceal the frustration in his voice but Tin-tin knew it was there. 'Thank you' she said. 'Right, now we have your attention I need all the injured and elderly first then the rest of you will follow in groups of 20.'

The crowd started to buzz and shift with movement as the injured were pushed or supported forward. Tin-tin pulled out a few of the lower priorities still trying to get on first, much to their disgust. 'Ok Scott you are clear to go'. Tin-tin let go of the elevator and turned to assemble the next group.

Meanwhile on the ground Gordon had now successfully cleared a path near the building. With the information that Brain's had sent on the buildings specs Gordon had been able to locate a trap door to the rear of the building on the pavement that led straight to the basement. On the scans it didn't appear to have been compromised so Gordon suited up and got ready to leave firefly. He had left the fire extinguisher cannons on automatic which would give him approximately 20 minutes to get in and out before the fire started to engulf the site again. 'This is Firefly to Thunderbird 2 commencing second stage of the operation, will keep you posted.'

'F.A.B Firefly.' Gordon stepped out and ran quickly across to the door, head turning side to side to sweep for potential hazards as he went. He used a laser to cut the bolt before wrenching the doors open and jumping into the dark space below. Looks like all the power had already cut out in the inferno he thought. Gordon flicked on his headlamp, keeping his hands free as he inched carefully down the corridor. He was careful not to touch the walls which were like hot coals. Heavy smog was just starting to billow above his head so he quickened his pace. Around the next corner he came across two double doors again he cut these open, relieved that there was no fire yet but still concerned at the amount of black smoke. They must be near here; he was detecting that he was less than 10 metres from the civilians. 'Hello?' can you hear me? International Rescue here to help!' Gordon thought he heard a reply but it was no more than a whisper on the wind. He tried again. This time a louder response but the voice was ragged from the fumes and muffled. 'Over here!'

Gordon rounded the corner and discovered the cave in. Below the cave in was a man semi trapped under ceiling and a woman sat reassuring him. She had a wet rag over her face and a half empty bottle of water on the floor. She was also holding a soaked rag on the other man's face. Oh boy! this was going to take more than 20 minutes.

Scott and Tin Tin's rescue went much more swiftly and without complications allowing them to successfully rescue all the civilians trapped up above. Scott now turned his attentions towards assisting his brother who had radioed for assistance. Tin-Tin took over Firefly, with the whole operation being filmed and the strong police presence around the Thunderbirds they felt that the vehicles would be safe without their protection. Scott had suited up and was now inside with Gordon.

'Hey'

'Hey we have 10 minutes before firefly runs out of steam, so to speak.'

'Ok we better get moving then. Laura here is unharmed physically but suffering from smoke inhalation so I have her on oxygen. Her work colleague is semi-conscious but with a rapid pulse. I suspect internal bleeding.' Gordon muttered the last part so that the casualties couldn't hear. Scott could tell that this guy might not make it, the biggest risk in moving him would be that once the pressure of the ceiling was removed the blood would flow freely internally and he would bleed out in a matter of minutes. This was going to have to be swift if they were to stand a chance.

'Ok. What's his name?' Scott asked.

'Ben, he's 22' Scott tried not to look appalled, the poor guy.

'Ok, Hi Ben my name is Scott and we are going to get you out of here but we don't have much time ok?' The lad managed to nod. 'I'm going to administer some strong pain relief and then we need to move you, we will then get you on a stretcher and out of here ok?' again another quick nod. Gordon had already moved a stretcher into place and had the trauma kit to hand. He then gently moved Laura to a safe distance before returning back to Scott's side. Scott was still talking to Ben and trying to distract him from the situation. Gordon nodded that he was ready. Scott rose and produced his laser; he set it to the correct intensity so that it would cut through the depth of the concrete only and not through Ben underneath. It was going to take longer but it meant that the load would be more manageable. Gordon had conducted a gas check a few minutes before so they knew that it was unlikely to cause an explosion. Scott started to cut slowly, beads of sweat forming on his head from the additional heat as he did so. Gordon continued to talk to the patient for the whole time.

Scott cut the rock in record time but they only have 5 minutes left before firefly was out. Not wasting anytime Gordon started to help Scott shift the smaller chunks that weren't going to directly compromise Ben before they were left with the bit that was trapping him. Gordon and Scott both grabbed the sides securely 'on the count of Three…One, Two, Three. They both lifted it clear to a heart wrenching scream of agony from Ben. Scott praised him and pleaded with him to stay still, if he moved too much he would damage himself further. They then reassessed together quickly for any potential fractures or external bleeds. It looked like his leg was broken and unfortunately Ben's chest cavity had taken the blow. They rolled him deftly and expertly on to a stretcher before collecting Laura and quickly vacating the area. They had given Laura and Ben protective fire blankets to protect them from the now deadly hot smog which would literally singe and burn them. Laura walked with it over her head engulfing most of her and keeping low as they made their way out. Luckily there were no further cave ins and they emerged onto the avenue as the flames began to start licking towards firefly that was now empty of foam. Scott and Gordon quickly loaded the casualties and got Tin Tin to get them out as quick as possible. Laura was released to the emergency services and Scott said he would fly Ben himself to try and get him emergency care in time. Gordon and Tin-Tin reported to the fire and police chiefs for the next rescue response. It was going to be a long night.


	13. Chapter 13

John was angry - hell! That didn't even cover it! He was livid to be back on Earth. Scott promised! Tears of frustration leaked from his eyes against his will as he quickly reached for the remote so he could see the latest news feed. He leaned forward in horror at the images of fires and hurt civilians in New York. More tears came when he realised that this was his fault, he had his chance and yet he hadn't been good enough to save them from this attack.

A knock. Gentle but audible on John's door. 'Go away!' John shouted vehemently, not even taking his eyes off the news. 'John? Its Virgil.' John looked at the door. He hadn't seen his brother since he had been hurt. He had spent many a night on five wondering how he might talk to Virgil, if Virgil would start to remember things or if he would always remain a stranger. 'Do I still need to go away?' John realised he had taken far too long deliberating.

'Err…No' John replied before opening the door. Virgil stood patiently as John took in his brother's features. Same kindly eyes, cleanly shaven face but Virgil now had a long thin scar that ran the length of his forehead to the top of his ear on the left-hand side but he still looked handsome with it.

Virgil walked in and took a seat at John's desk. He glanced at the news channel as he did so before turning to face John. John sat on his bed in his shirt and boxer shorts, sitting cross legged to warm his feet. 'How are you feeling? You look upset.' Virgil was concerned; his brother looked so different from the handsome imposing figure in the portrait he was familiar with in the lounge. The haughty confidence and groomed appearance had been replaced by young man ridden with exhaustion and guilt. The perfect shock of blonde hair lay haphazardly strewn in his red blotchy eyes rather than smoothly flipped backwards, he also had a 5 O'clock shadow. 'I'm angry Virgil. Thanks to Scott I'm stuck here on earth unable to do anything – I could have stopped this!' He hit the bed with his fist in frustration.

'John this is not your fault' –

'it was Scott's muttered John'.

Virgil didn't rise to the bait and remained calm as he continued 'Or Scott's; John if the CIA, MI5, GDF and a whole host of other global agencies couldn't work it out then you were hardly going to achieve it by yourself. It's a miracle that Penelope and Rose were able to get to the London target in time.' John looked surprised 'They stopped an attack in London?'

'Yes! because of you! Thanks to your perseverance Alan was able to triangulate the message just as you left in three. Rose and Penelope already had a suspect and that trace was able to confirm it. It was supposedly the guy that tried to kill Scott before my accident.

'The marksman?'

'Yes'

John sat in silence for a moment.

Virgil walked across the room and sat next to John on the bed and waited quietly. John was still upset but Virgil had always had a way of putting things into perspective and a naturally calming influence. John was happy to see that this element of his brother's personality remained. It also made him curious, John was a scientist and they could never leave questions unanswered even if he was still simmering about his current situation. He turned to face Virgil. 'Do you mind if I ask, do you remember your accident?' Virgil frowned. 'The funny thing is I don't. I just remember waking up in a military base hospital wing, with a ginger haired guy – who later turned out to be my brother. Then I was transported here and have been trying to get my memories back ever since.' Virgil clasped his hands in his lap, his gaze cast downwards.

'So, you don't remember anything prior to the accident at all?' John looked aghast.

'No but I've had a couple of flashbacks here and there. Scott and I as children, Gordon playing a prank on me one birthday and so on but there only snippets in time and that's what's frustrating. I want to have those family relationships again and I want to be part of IR like I was'. Virgil pulled out a notebook from his pocket and passed it to John. It was an A5 leather bound black note book with curved edges. John slowly turned the pages to see several of his brother's illustrations. Each one was like a little screenshot of Virgil's life. There were at least twenty of these in total.

'This is pretty impressive Virgil, to remember all these in such a short time, some patients take years just to grab one memory.' John closed the book gently and carefully handed it back to Virgil. 'Have you been to Thunderbird 2 since it happened? They sometimes say revisiting the location where you lost your memory can trigger a response.'

'You've been reading up on this haven't you?' Virgil looked at John knowingly. 'Ok, ok I may have read a few journals on it once I discovered what had happened. I wanted to see if I could help.'

'and satisfy your own curiosity.' Virgil laughed.

'How do you know?'

'Just because I don't remember you doesn't mean I can't make accurate assumptions about your personality. Your eyes have been lighting up the more we talk about it and you're trying to not get excited but you've started fidgeting. That and the fact that Scott says you're like a dog with a bone when it comes to new subject matter that interests you.'

 _Wow! he really was astute if anything else!_ 'Alright, Sherlock you got me! You know who Sherlock is right?

'Famous fictional detective. I remember things just not direct memories of my personal life. I can still draw, fix things and it turns out I can play the piano pretty well.' Virgil laughed again at his brother's surprised face, it was refreshing to have someone that was not treading on eggshells around him. Initially he would have hated to have had to talk frankly like this, but it had been weeks now and everyone else was still trying to molly coddle and protect him.

'Right. It's been nice to meet you brother but I think that you need a shower and then probably some food?' Virgil straightened up. John sniffed himself in repulsion. He had not been keeping clean of late and he almost actually had a beard! 'Point taken and yes please to the food.'

'Meet you in the kitchen?' John wasn't sure he wanted to bump into the rest of the family yet but he was hungry so he nodded.

'ok, oh! and Virgil?' Virgil turned at the door.

'Thank you, I feel a bit better'.

'You're welcome.'

\--------------------------------------

Jeff was in his office. Sat across the desk was his finest agent (Both in terms of skill and appearance) and a young woman he had never met before. She was petite and dressed conservatively, her arm was in a blue sling and she had hand prints imprinted into her neck from her last altercation. This was the girl who had saved his son and had now helped prevent a terrorist attack. Jeff could see why Scott had been so taken with her, he would never admit it to his father but she was just his type and Jeff knew it.

'Thank you for coming Penny'.

'You're welcome Jeff, it's lovely to visit as ever.'

'Rose; thank you for coming also, I know it's a long journey when you are not feeling yourself'. Rose nodded respectfully; she had to use her voice sparingly as it was no more than a harsh whisper after getting strangled.

'I invited you both here today not only to thank you for your services directly but to offer you a proposal. Now; Penny has been feeding back to me at regular intervals about your performance Rose and I have to say that you have some skills that we could utilise.' He paused and surveyed Rose who looked surprised and then it dawned on her. 'Allow me to answer your question. Yes, I am Jeff Tracy and I operate international rescue, you met one of my operatives at the London rescue? That was Scott one of my sons and I owe you a great debt for saving his life. I also owe you for helping capture the man who tried to kill him and stopping a terrorist plot. With all of this in mind I would like to offer you a place on our team as a secondary London agent to specifically deal with potential threats to international rescue and crime investigation in relation to IR business. Penelope will be your handler and trainer, should you choose to accept.'

She tried to respond but found she couldn't, so she swallowed painfully and brought out her notebook where she hastily scribbled a message and handed it over the desk.

_Thank you! What a fantastic opportunity! I am honoured and want to commit to this fully so would you be so kind as to allow me 24 hours to respond? I need to think about logistics and how it would affect my family but I would love to work for such a worthy organisation. I also need to consider how I will feel getting back into the field after my recent injuries._

'That's not a problem, take all the time you need. I trust that you will stay here for a while whilst you make your decision, your welcome to stay and after the last couple of days he has had, I am sure Scott would be pleased to see you. I was hoping that you may like to rest and recover here. You will be quite safe'. She smiled and mouthed thank you. Penelope smiled at her; it was going to be fun to have another agent on board.

Scott, Gordon and Tin-Tin had finally returned to the island dirty and emotionally drained. Gordon had headed to the medical bay to be treated for whiplash - again and Scott had headed straight for the shower. He noticed that their portraits had been flipped to the non-uniformed portraits so they must have a visitor. He quickly slipped through to his room.

With the silo clear, Virgil had finally braved heading down to see Thunderbird two. He was intrigued by John's idea so once he had made him a sandwich and got him settled, he had headed straight down here with his note book and pencil. He was hopeful it might work but also terrified he wouldn't remember anything. As the elevator door opened his mouth dropped in wonder. The sheer size of the thing was hard to believe when you were stood underneath it. It was a dark green with bright yellow stripes in places and underneath was a conveyor belt with a selection of differently numbered cabins that seemed to be interchangeable with the main body. He really must have been a great pilot to operate such a thing! He walked across the cavernous room, his footsteps echoing as he did so. Just to the left-hand side of the craft was a set of steps. Virgil jumped on and used the controls to steer it over to the visible hatch underneath the craft. After a few minutes of pushing the hatch and running his hands over it he detected a hand scanner. He tentatively pushed his palm and fingers on the scanner to be read and was surprised when the door pulled back with a whoosh. He stepped into the unknown.

Virgil appeared to be in the cockpit. There were two sets of double chairs immediately in front of him and in front of them was a co-pilot and pilot seat. Virgil started forwards slowly admiring the controls and running his hand slowly along the dash. There were soot marks here and there on the floor as well as the seats and a distinct smell of smoke tinged the air in the cockpit. The hairs on Virgil's neck began to stand up as if a breeze had passed him. As he drew closer to the pilot's seat he began to sweat, he though he better sit down. As he eased himself into the chair he realised the seat was a little more forward than he would like so he subconsciously operated the lever to push it back. How did he know to do that? He took a deep breath as he looked down and the controls and tried to imagine what it would be like to pilot this thing. His hands automatically rested on the wheel and that's when it hit him.

_They were losing altitude fast. 'Mayday, Mayday! Scott we're going down'. Smoke caught at the back of his throat, he could taste ash as it choked him. He was sweating rivulets and trying not to panic but adrenaline was coursing and his heart felt frozen. This was bad and he knew it. He looked across at Gordon who glanced back just as panicked fighting the controls. Lights were flickering across the dash and several alarms were resounding in his ears. The vibrations from the controls were shaking him apart and he was straining against them to try and get her nose up. Then there was a deafening roar and a violent tug as an explosion rocketed through the ship, then it was black._

Virgil slumped back in the pilot's seat shocked at what he had seen, what he had remembered. He couldn't believe that that had been him but it was so real! He could still smell it, taste it. He still felt the gut wrenching fear when he realised they were going to crash. He felt sick and wanted to get out of the cockpit. He stumbled and leant against the seat as he got out of it. His head hurt terribly like he had been hit all over again. He shook it as if to try and shake the pain away but he still felt it. It felt like his mind had been muffled or dampened. He couldn't see clearly. He sat against the side of the chair and quickly brought out his book so he could write down what he had remembered. It was still clear as day replaying over and over in his head but a part of him panicked he would lose it again. After fifteen minutes Virgil's heart rate and head pounding had slowed and he began to relax by taking deep breaths. Tears started to roll down his face, he remembered!


	14. Chapter 14

After she was dismissed Penelope gave Rose a quick tour of the house and introduced her to Tin-Tin and Kyrano. Penelope had now explained everything and Rose had no idea how they had kept it all so secret. The Tracy's were like celebrities - everyone knew about them. Jeff Tracy was a famous astronaut and owner of Tracy industries which was the largest tech company in the west, perhaps even globally. Then there was Gordon the Olympian, Alan the touring car champion and Virgil who was a well-known pianist within the classical community. Scott Tracy was relatively unknown but had been a serving Air Force captain and was known to be his father's second in command when it came to business. So public yet so secretive; it was fascinating to her that this multi-billionaire juggernaut was behind International Rescue and that it was a family organisation! The sheer scale of it always led her to believe that it was a secret division of America's government.

They wandered back into the lounge, Rose's eyes rested on a tall figure overlooking the balcony outside. His arms were outstretched across the rail and he was wearing a light blue shirt with rolled up sleeves and light cream chinos. Penelope saw all of this and smiled. 'Why don't you go and see Scott? I have a few more things to discuss with Jeff'. Rose nodded and Penelope left. This was it. She was about to meet the man she had tried to save and ultimately, he had saved her life. The doctors had warned her that if she had not got to hospital so quickly she would have been dead. She wanted to thank him but was scared she wouldn't be able to speak. Then she remembered that she couldn't speak and tried to stifle a laugh which was no more than a squeak. She tentatively walked out onto the balcony.

Scott heard footsteps. He had come out here to try and clear his mind of the day's terrors. He wasn't sure he was ready for family just yet but he turned anyway. His mouth dropped open in shock. 'Rose?' She stepped forwards and smiled, her face was half hidden by her long brunette locks. Scott's surprise turned to concern as he noticed the sling and marks on her neck. 'What happened to you? Are you ok?' He gestured for her to sit in one of the deck chairs and helped her down. She nodded.

'I'm fine, nothing that pain relief can't solve.' Scott was appalled that her voice was no more than a ragged whisper. He saw the bruises on her neck, they were shaped like hand prints. 'Who did this to you?' Rose brought out her notepad and turned to a familiar page she handed it to Scott. She watched the wave of emotions flicker across his face from concern to rage and then awe as he read. It was a statement she had written for anyone who asked her what had happened as she simply could not waste repeating it right now for the sake of her health.

He popped the notepad down. 'I'm so sorry this happened to you. Do you usually go looking for this much trouble?' She smiled and shook her head. 'The terrorist who did this was the same guy that tried to kill you. I couldn't rest until I'd seen he was arrested. Bad habit on my part, no one gets away once I'm investigating.'

Scott was visibly shocked. This girl was unreal; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was also relieved; he hadn't been sleeping well ever since he was attacked. He'd been having nightmares about the man coming back to kill him or his brothers on a rescue. _Guess I won't have to worry anymore he thought_.

'I wanted to say thank you'. She strained her voice to make herself heard.

'For what?'

'For getting me to the hospital in time, I would have died.'

'You know you British have a way of thanking and apologising when you don't need to? You're the one that chucked yourself in front of a bullet meant for me. I should be thanking you!' She wheezed instead of laughing and he felt bad. He quickly offered her a glass of water off the coffee table which she gratefully accepted. Just then they were interrupted by Penelope.

'Rose. You're meant to be conserving your voice'. Rose shrugged apologetically and held up a do you know how frustrating that is? Sign. Penelope smiled.

'Hi Penelope' Scott stood up to give her a hug. 'What brings you here?'

'Your father and I had business to discuss; we've just recruited a new operative'. She looked at Rose. 'A new…operative…' Scott looked at Rose questionably, she nodded.

'He recruited Rose!' Penny laughed. Don't sound so surprised Scott, she is perfect for the role and your father has been looking for a new operative for a while.' Scott had been so surprised and pleased to see Rose he had completely forgotten she was not supposed to know who he really was and yet she had known. She was smiling at him as he worked it all through. She could see the thoughts in his facial expressions clearly. 'Well I'll be dammed! He hasn't recruited anyone new in five years! Have you accepted?' She shook her head as Penelope explained she had a few things to tie up at home and wanted to recover first. 'In that case has Penelope given you the tour?' Rose went to nod but Penelope held up her hand. 'Not; _the_ tour no.'

'Allow me to show you behind the scenes of IR then.' He smiled as he held out a hand to pull Rose up.

\------------------------------------------

Virgil had made his way up to the main house. He had gone via the labs and medic bay in the hopes of avoiding everyone but he ran straight into Gordon. Gordon yelped as Virgil bent down to hurriedly collect his notebook and pencils. 'I'm sorry' stammered Virgil.

'That's ok the pain killers took the brunt…Hey? What's wrong?'

'Nothing'

'Virgil don't lie to me, what are you doing here?'

He looked directly at Gordon's worried expression. He wasn't getting out of this one. He really just wanted to go to his room and think things through. 'I went down to Thunderbird 2, I wanted to see her for myself. When I got down there I went into the cockpit and was just looking around when I remembered, I remembered the crash.' Virgil looked pained just thinking about it. 'My whole life flashed before my eyes Gordon. In that moment that I thought I was going to die. I prayed that you wouldn't die with me as I looked at you, I wanted to say goodbye to Dad one last time and I wished that Scott wasn't above us to witness it all. It would break him, he would blame himself. I worried about John who would regret that he had been in space for the last two months and poor Alan to lose us when he was so young and had already lost our mother.' Tears rolled freely down his face as he recalled his memories, Gordon grabbed him in a one-armed embrace. 'It's ok we're safe now, come one lets go back in here for a minute.'

Gordon sat Virgil down on one of the beds in the med room and handed him some tissue which he accepted. Then he sat down opposite. 'Can I tell you a secret?' Virgil nodded. 'Ever since we almost died that day I keep having flashbacks. They come unbidden at all hours and assault my senses forcing me to re-live those last moments over and over again. The panic and the fear well up in me like when I was physically there. Then the panic attack begins. Early on they used to tighten around my chest and I thought I was having a heart attack, I was so scared. Then it would ease. As time has gone on it's just a tightening of the chest and an occasional tremor but it passes quickly enough. I was in some ways thankful that you couldn't remember it as it would save you the trauma.'

Virgil looked at Gordon he felt so sorry for him that he had suffered on his own like this. How had they not noticed? His family had been so wrapped up with his memory loss that they hadn't even contemplated the impact it had had on the other pilot, he felt terrible. 'I'm sorry that you feel that way, why didn't you tell anyone?'

'I didn't want them to see me as weak; I know that's stupid but it's true. I didn't want to recognise it as a problem either. I thought if I just continued ploughing on then it would disappear but now I know better. I've been seeing a counselor for the last two weeks and its helping.' Virgil's eyes started to close a little. 'Are you ok?' Gordon stood up. 'Just... just tired it was a lot to remember you know?' Gordon helped Virgil to lie down and he pretty much went to sleep instantly. He then went to find Brains to keep an eye on Virgil whilst he went and found his dad.

His dad was kicking back in the lounge with a newspaper, the front page was hailing international rescue as heroes once again after their actions of the last 48 hours. John and Tin-Tin were working on proof reading John's latest journal piece.

'Dad'

'Ah Gordon, I heard you got whip-lashed again on that last rescue. How are you feeling?' Jeff chucked the paper down next to him. 'Achy but the painkillers are good, Brains says it should heal in a couple of days. Dad I need to talk you about Virgil. He remembered the crash'. That got all their attention, John and Tin-Tin dropped what they were doing. 'Where is he son? How's he taking it?'

'Understandably he was upset but he's exhausted himself remembering so I've left him asleep, being monitored by Brains in the medic bay. He remembers everything to do with the crash and has gained more memories of his past from it, for example he knows that mom died.' Jeff felt sick; his poor boy having to relive all of that again, yet at the same time he had a bittersweet excitement brewing in him that his son had remembered and that he might have more of his memory restored. 'I think I need to go and see Brains, thanks for letting me know son'. He got up and headed out.

'Gords did Virgil say how he remembered?'

'He said he'd been down to Thunderbird 2 - which I still need to clean'. Gordon groaned as the thought crossed his mind.

'Clean?' John asked.

'Yeah, there's soot and muck everywhere, reeks like a bonfire.' Gordon flopped down on the sofa. 'I wonder if that added stimulus…' John muttered to himself but Gordon had supersonic hearing. 'Stimulus for what?'

'The smell is likely to have contributed to stimulating Virgil's memory along with being on two as it must have helped replicate the conditions experienced during the crash.' He theorised.

Just then Scott walked back in the room with a petite young woman. Scott was talking and she was politely nodding and smiling. They were both absorbed with each other as Gordon leant over the arm of the sofa and gave a soft cough. 'Care to introduce us to your new friend Scott?' Gordon asked innocently as John tried not to snigger in the background. 'Oh! Didn't see you all there! sure. Erm. This is Rose, Rose meet my younger brothers Gordon and John. Tin-Tin you met earlier I believe?' Rose nodded and waved at them. This was the closest to flapping that Gordon had ever seen his brother, it was fascinating and entertaining all at the same time. This must be the new agent that dad had been talking about earlier when he briefed them that they had a visitor for the next few days, Penny was around somewhere too. John hadn't seen Scott since he dragged him back to earth; he wasn't sure if he could be civil just yet but seeing as they had visitors he would have to pretend. To cover the awkward silence that had developed and the obvious glaring coming from John, Gordon said 'So Virgil remembered the crash, he's sleeping now but it's got to be progress, right?'

'No way! That's fantastic news! I hope he's ok; I better go and check on him. Gordon would you please keep Rose company till Penny comes back?'

'Sure, the pleasures all mine.' He winked at Scott as Rose sat next to him. Scott looked annoyed and gave him a look of warning. 'So, Rose has Scott told you how much he loves dressing up and playing toy soldiers?'

'GORDON.' Scott used his shut up now or else tone.

'What I mean to say is he did some military re-enactment when he was younger…' Scott walked out, it was bound to happen sooner or later and he would just have to smack him upside the head for it later when the visitors were otherwise engaged. He wouldn't want to cause a scene this early on.


	15. Chapter 15

The last couple of days had passed in a blur. Rose and Penelope had left to give the family space and to help Virgil on his continued recovery. Everyday Scott, Tin-Tin and John had been back to New York to continue the rescue operation, pulling more survivors and the not so fortunate out of the rubble. Gordon was house bound due to his whiplash injures so he was on hand to help Virgil continue to adjust to what he has remembered along with their father keeping a close eye.

Virgil was unsure how he felt. It was like regaining his memory had been too easy and he found himself afraid that his memories would flee again just as quickly as they had returned. He had continued to feel tired and run down, the effort of remembering draining him like a battery. He also found that he had a complete lack of concentration which was so unlike him and frustrated him to no end as he couldn't concentrate on painting or playing his music. The doctor that his father had been liaising with had assured Virgil that these feelings would pass, with time.

Virgil walked out into the sunshine, the rays giving his already bronze arms an immediate sun kissed glow. He lifted his shades as he looked at a guy in the pool who was completing a fast back stroke. He waited for the slim figure of Gordon to approach his end of the pool before crouching down. 'Gordon, aren't you meant to be on rest?' Gordon changed position so he could tread water and speak to his brother properly. 'Yes; but I like to call it recuperation and that involves physio, swimming counts as physio'.

'Do you always have an answer for everything?' Virgil asked half exasperated.

Gordon just grinned and took off to do another stroke, leaving Virgil to chuckle to himself. He sat fully on the edge of the pool and dangled his legs in the water. He thought that he ought to start hitting the gym again now he was fully recuperated if he was to be rescue fit. Just the thought of it made him groan at the effort. He sighed and reminded himself he could take it at his own pace, no one was pressurising him except himself to return to duty. He needed to remember that.

Gordon finally hopped out of the pool, albeit a little stiffly. He may have overdone it but he wasn't going to admit it as he grabbed a towel and gingerly started to dry his hair. He padded over to Virgil who now stood to greet him. 'Were you waiting for me?'

'No, I just came out to catch some sun and to avoid Scott's moping'.

Gordon sniggered. Their eldest brother had certainly been affected by their latest visitor. Even their father had been impressed by Rose and that was a testament to her.

'I'm not 'moping' Virgil. I don't mope.' Virgil blushed involuntarily as Scott sauntered by to the loungers with a drink in hand. Gordon laughed.

The brothers congregated around the poolside just as John stepped out into the sunlight. Gordon was always worried John would combust on exposure to sunlight, he was so bloody pale from all his time in space. He was in his uniform; the lilac purple sash bounced a little as he walked. 'Heading back so soon?' Gordon asked.

'Yep. I came to say goodbye before I head on up, Tin-Tin's co-piloting.'

Virgil got up to shake John's hand 'See you soon brother, hopefully I'll remember more next time your home.'

'I don't doubt it' John clapped him on the back affectionately. At this point Gordon came in for a hug 'Oh no you don't' John sidestepped 'Your wet!' They opted for a hand shake instead. Then John awkwardly turned to face Scott.

'You still pissed at me?' Scott had his arms spread in an open gesture.

John stared at him for a minute, contemplating.

'A little, but I can acknowledge why you did what you did'.

'Come here' Scott grabbed him in an embrace and patted his back. 'I'm sorry we're both made as stubborn as each other' his remark elicited a small smile from John. They were more similar than you would think at first glance.

With that he waved and turned on his heel, back to the house. The rest of the boys settled back onto the loungers chatting away. Jeff watched from the veranda, cigar in hand. Virgil was talking animatedly to Scott who looked like he had been caught off guard and Gordon was caught in a fit of laughter. It was good to have his boys back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that completes under fire. Thank you to those who viewed and left kudos i hope you enjoyed it till the end!


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